Final Fantasy Reprise Part One: A Crisis of Time
by The Pope
Summary: (On Hold) The machinations of a dark god cause a rupture in the fabrics of time. A veritable nexus of fate in the form of a young man from the future of the Planet must come to terms with himself and face the threat that seems to threaten existence.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Jesus, I never thought I'd ever write one of these dumbass things. However, since I value my money and do not wish to be sued by the god of RPG companies, I suppose I'll suck it up and keep writing. Final Fantasy and all original FF concepts and characters are the legal property of Squaresoft, inc. All original characters and this story itself is the intellectual property of me, Zach Woods.   
  
Anyway...  
  
Final Fantasy Reprise  
Part One: A Crisis of Time  
  
Prologue  
  
To any onlookers, the two men who slowly made their way through the ruins of what had once been the tower of a demigod would have seemed odd, mismatched, and out-of-place. However, there were no onlookers, and both men knew without a doubt that there was no chance of being seen by anyone.  
  
Of the two men, the taller man would have seemed to be the most odd. He was clad from head to toe in heavy black armor, and wore an enormous sword in a hilt at his side. Upon his head was an imposing helm from which curved two wicked horns in a most demonic fashion, and upon his back hung a thick purple cloak. Why he was fully dressed for battle was a mystery even to his companion; there had not been a full-scale war anywhere in the world since that which ruined the face of the world five years before.   
  
Though less conspicuous, the other man was also quite odd. He wore a suit of leather armor and a purple cloak that encompassed his entire body, keeping his face covered with a light leather hood. However, the single most obvious thing about the shorter man was his considerable supply of weaponry. He wore two scimitars across his back and two more on either side of his waist on his belt, as well as a gun in a holster upon his belt that was quite advanced for the time. Unlike the black-armored man, the heavily armed man had achieved some degree of notoriety throughout the world: he was Sigfried, the self-appointed greatest swordsman in the world.  
  
Neither of the men spoke as they picked their way through the varied ruins, which consisted of a combination of steel panels, odd machinery, and various refuse from cities across the world. Why the armored man desired to reach the center of the treacherous pile of garbage was a mystery to Sigfried, but the swordsman knew that his armored employer had withheld information from him upon hiring him as a bodyguard. This point, in turn, brought up another question: why would the armored man need a bodyguard? It was a well-known fact that not a single living thing had survived the collapse of the tower, save the fourteen individuals who had caused its collapse.  
  
However, before Sigfried could ponder the intentions of the mysterious armored individual further, he found that the man had stopped walking.  
  
"We have arrived," said the man, his voice deep and overpowering. "We stand at the center of Kefka's failure."  
  
Sigfried had never expected to hear the Tower of Kefka referred to as the madman's failure. Kefka had ascended to near-godhood and had unleashed his earth-rending Light of Judgment upon the world from the top of the tower, after all. In fact, the tower itself had achieved a state of sentience near the end of the madman's reign as forced ruler of the world. If he could remember correctly, Sigfried could have sworn that he had heard about a battle with the tower itself occuring before Kefka's destruction. Regardless of his thoughts, however, the swordsman remained silent.  
  
"Have you anything to say?" asked the armored man coldly.  
  
Sigfried shrugged. "What would I have to say, other than that my job here is done. I'd appreciate it if you would pay me the remainder of my fee so I can get back to the coliseum."  
  
Sigfried heard a dark laugh resound within the armored man's helm. "No, Sigfried. Your job has not yet ended. You will be of great use to us before this is over."  
  
The mercenary began to become irritated. "I was only supposed to come this far with you. The job is over; we had a deal. Now give me my money."  
  
"You are in no position to demand that I give you anything, vessel."  
  
"Vessel?" Sigfried said, a puzzled look upon his face. "To tell you the truth, I don't give a damn about you and whoever else you might be talking about, and I'm not 'of use' to anyone who doesn't pay me. Now give me my money."  
  
The armored individual planted his feet firmly in the debris that covered the ground and drew his sword, revealing it to be crafted of some sort of black metal. "What do you plan to do, vessel? Would you fight me?"  
  
Sigfried drew forth two of his swords, holding one in each of his hands. "Gladly."  
  
Being the faster of the two, Sigfried performed his signature opening attack: a wild, flailing series of slashes that always seemed to make contact with their target no less than eight times. However, not a single attack so much as grazed the armored man, for he blocked each one with his enormous sword as if he had known the exact point at which each attack would make contact with his body. This unexpected turn of events caused Sigfried to lose his balance. However, the swordsman took advantage of the situation by leaping toward the armored man and deftly landing a blow beneath the shoulder guard of his armor.  
  
"None escape unscathed from a battle with Sigfried!" cried the swordsman victoriously. However, his feelings of victory turned to those of bewilderment and horror when he realized that his attack had caused absolutely no damage to the armored man. "How...how did you...I nearly severed your arm! I could feel it!"  
  
"No, vessel. You cannot harm me. Stop trying." The armored man was as cold and unemotional as ever.  
  
The command served to fuel Sigfried's anger. He leapt at the armored man once more, fully intending to put his sword through the narrow slit in the helm of his opponent. However, before he could do so, the man raised a hand and chanted a short, unintelligible phrase.   
  
Much to Sigfried's surprise, he found that he could no longer move.  
  
"Look on, vessel," sneered the armored man. "Watch as I, Garland, the Supreme Avatar, invoke the power of our lord Chaos, the Father of Darkness!"  
  
The Supreme Avatar slowly removed his helm, revealing a fearsome, pale visage with long white hair and piercing red eyes. He raised his armored hands into the air. "O Father! Allow me to use thy power to further thy cause! I beseech thee!" The sky above the ruins darkened as Garland continued distractedly. "Time and space shall be defied within this radius, for we shall construct a stronghold both out of time and in the three critical time periods in which the remaining crystals reside. When your vessels are sent forth to gather the crystals, none shall be able to stand in their way. It is thus that our victory is assured!"   
  
Sigfried closed his eyes as an unbearably bright glow surrounded the dark figure of Garland... 


	2. Chapter One: It Begins in the Future

Chapter One:  
It Begins in the Future  
  
"Let's get the hell out of here!"  
  
Among the outskirts of the Centra Ruins ran a most unlikely pair: a gunblade-wielding ex-SeeD mercenary and a former member of the Galbadian army.  
  
"Why should we run?" cried the ex-SeeD, a tall, blond young man, to his companion, who seemed to be concentrating on getting away from the ruins as fast as he could. "They have what we came for! There's only three of them, after all!"  
  
Both men came to a halt. The ex-SeeD's mouth twisted into a smile of satisfaction.  
  
"What the hell are you smiling about?" said the Galbadian, a dark man who was even taller than his companion. "We've got bigger problems to worry about!"  
  
It was at about that moment that the three unidentifiable figures who were chasing the two caught up to them. Each of the three was approximately the same height, and each wore an all-encompassing black robe held tightly to their body with a heavy black belt. Though they were armed with nothing but what appeared to be steel quarterstaffs, the three seemed to radiate an aura of fear and intimidation. The single fact that the two mercenary companions knew in regards to the robed figures was that they belonged to a mysterious organization about which practically nothing was known. However, this lack of knowledge had not stopped the mercenaries from taking a well-paying job involving the retrieval of a small crystal-like object from the small group of robed individuals stationed at the Centra Ruins.  
  
The ex-SeeD quickly drew his gunblade from the holster at his side and switched its safety into the off position. "What say we get us a crystal, Luts?" he said, obviously not worried about the impending battle in the least.  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me, Clest," replied the Galbadian named Luts. "Now let's get this over with so we can get paid!"  
  
Judging from his posture and demeanor, one would be assured that Clest was quite comfortable with battle. He had been the most skilled gunblade wielder at Balamb Garden for two years after the departure of Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy, despite his young age. However, due to reasons that he preferred not to discuss, Clest had been expelled from the Garden, and had served as a mercenary for the past two years. It was in the streets of Balamb that he had gained his actual combat experience and familiarity with combat.  
  
Luts, on the other hand, took a more wild and unpredictable approach to combat, as did all Galbadian soldiers. One could tell that he had been trained in the difficult art of Galbadian swordsmanship by the way he held his sword: his right hand was placed upside-down upon the hilt of the cleaver-like weapon, allowing him to deliver very effective chopping blows to his opponents. However, his mobility was vastly increased from that of the average Galbadian soldier; he wore none of the bulky Galbadian battle armor, therefore increasing his speed, dexterity, and visibility.  
  
Though the two individuals had quite different approaches to combat, both were comfortable fighting alongside one another, as they had been doing so for nearly as long as Clest had been a mercenary. The two had been childhood friends with similar interests, but had been separated due to their alternate military paths. It is therefore not surprising that Clest sought out his old comrade Luts upon being expelled from Balamb Garden, as he had heard the young recruit had quit his training when Sorceress Edea took power in Galbadia.   
  
Unfortunately for the mercenary duo, they had more to worry about than their pasts at the moment, though the robed individuals did not seem overly eager to begin the battle.  
  
A man who seemed to be the leader of the group stepped forward and lowered the hood on his robe, revealing him to be a bald, seemingly middle-aged male. His piercing black eyes seemed to bore into the mercenaries as if they were transparent. "Why do you wish to fight?" he said, his voice calm and unwavering. "You must realize that it is futile."  
  
"We're after your crystal," Clest said impatiently. "Hand it over and we won't have to hurt you people."  
  
The bald leader laughed slightly. "You could not harm us, boy. You have no idea what you are dealing with, and it would be to your advantage if you would give up your hopeless quest. The Fire Shard is not an item to be taken lightly. Who has sent you after the Shard?" he added as an afterthought.  
  
"That's none of your damn business," Luts retorted. "Our employer said you stole the crystal from him."  
  
"That may be true," said the leader, "But we have much more use for it than its 'owner' did." He put an odd emphasis on the word 'owner.'  
  
"Where we come from, stealing is a crime," Clest said casually. "Unfortunately for you three, our employer chose to come to us instead of turning to the local police. Now, if we're going to fight, we'd better get this over with."  
  
The leader regarded Clest amusedly. "Very well then. However, I want no interference. You and I will fight alone."  
  
After glancing quickly at the downtrodden Luts, Clest agreed to the one-on-one battle. "Well then, enough talking. It's time for you to hand over what we came for."  
  
The leader simply smiled. He drew forth the item he had referred to as the Fire Shard, revealing it to be a six-inch-long piece of a crystal of some sort that was likely larger than a person's body. A fierce red glow emanated from the center of shard, and enveloped the leader's hand. "You have no idea what the Fire Shard can do, boy," the leader muttered. "Regardless, you seem not to value your life to any great extent. Your attitude makes my job quite easy."  
  
Clest had quickly become tired of the drawn-out conversation. He rushed at the leader and delivered two swift slashes to his midsection, each of which were blocked by the leader's staff. He then spun around and made a wild slash at his opponent's head, followed by a potentially devastating thrust at the man's stomach. Both of these attacks were deftly dodged. Angrily, Clest aimed several powerful cleaving slashes at his opponent's exposed head, but was not able to avoid being parried by the leader's quarterstaff, which, Clest noted with surprise, he wielded in a single hand. Again and again Clest attacked, and again and again his attacks were dodged or blocked by his almost inhumanly fast opponent. After quite a few failed attempts to decapitate, impale, and otherwise maim his opponent, Clest tiredly leapt back and took a defensive position.  
  
The robed leader was hardly idle; he seemed to have tired very little, if at all, and took full advantage of Clest's weakened state. He sprung forward and swung his staff at Clest wildly, causing the mercenary to focus his full attention on dodging and parrying his opponent's blows. Clest could barely avoid being hit by his opponent in his tired state, but he could feel his defenses deteriorating with every blocked blow. Finally, Clest was caught by surprise when the staff flew into his stomach through an unseen hole in his defenses, unexpectedly tossing him to the ground due to the inhuman force of the blow.  
  
Realizing that he could not simply allow his friend to be beaten to a bruised and bloody mass, Luts leapt at the robed leader, taking him by surprise with the force of his blow. Though the attack was blocked, the leader was thrown off guard, giving Luts the opportunity to attempt yet another attack. However, the blow never hit its mark, as the mysterious leader of the robed ones easily dodged it.  
  
"What are you people?" Luts said, leaping back into a defensive position. He glanced over at Clest and, realizing that his companion needed a moment to catch his breath, began to stall for time. "How are you so fast?"  
  
The leader sneered. "No human can face our power. Since I am going to kill you anyway, I suppose there is no harm in revealing to you what we are. We are the-"  
  
"It begins!"  
  
The leader suddenly spun around to face the robed one who had spoken, finding the individual staring intently toward the Centra Ruins. From the very center of the ruins came a fierce white light, so bright as to be difficult to look directly into. "It..." the leader stammered, "It certainly does...Come! We have no time for these pathetic humans! They will meet their doom soon enough!"  
  
At that command, the robed individuals ran toward the ruins.  
  
"What in hell..." Clest slowly rose to his feet. "What's going on? Hey! Where do you people think you're going?"  
  
As an afterthought, the robed leader spun around and raised his hand that held the Fire Shard. He whisperingly chanted several odd syllables, which seemed to cause the crystalline object to glow more fiercely than ever. Clest realized what the man was in the process of doing just in time to take the full force of a small explosion on his gunblade. Though unharmed, Clest was thrown backwards into one of many piles of debris that littered the ground around the ruins. Luts was better prepared when he was forced to contend with his own Fire spell, and managed to dodge the attack altogether. Before even looking back to see the results of his spells, the robed leader ran after his two companions, who had nearly reached the entrance to the ruins.  
  
Clest leapt up and clutched his stomach. "What's going on? I figured this would be a routine job."  
  
Luts simply shook his head. "Beats the hell out of me, but that," he said, pointing at the ever-enlarging glow that had surrounded the primary tower in the center of the ruins, "Looks like magic to me."  
  
"Really. How long did it take you to figure that out?" Clest badgered.  
  
"We don't have time for this," Luts retorted. "We don't have the slightest idea what that is, so I figure we'd better get out of here."  
  
"Without that crystal? There's no way in hell."  
  
Luts sighed in exasperation. "There are more important things than money. You know, like living long enough to make up for the money we didn't make in this job."  
  
Clest shrugged. "It's a matter of dignity. Anyway, I suppose you're r-...what the hell? This keeps getting more and more strange."  
  
A helicopter bearing the blue SeeD insignia of Balamb Garden flew by overhead. It seemed to be circling the ruins as if looking for a suitable place to land.  
  
"Who told SeeD about this?" Luts said "Unless they can see it from Dollet..."  
  
"Satellite surveillance," Clest muttered. They had still been perfecting the system when he had left the Garden. "This certainly complicates things. Not only do we have those black-robed people running around somewhere; we have a SeeD strike team who will most likely interrogate us as soon as they find us to deal with, as well."  
  
"Wonderful," Luts muttered. "Now, can we get the hell out of here?"  
  
* * * * *   
  
"In the name of all things sacred, what is that?"  
  
Elite SeeD squad leader Quistis Trepe peered intently out the window of her helicopter at the Centra Ruins as she gently turned the aircraft to the north. She had never seen anything comparable to the mysterious glow, save the effects of magic, and she knew that there was nothing left in the ruins that could produce such an effect; she had helped to clear out the god-forsaken place years ago, after all.  
  
"I don't know," responded another elite SeeD, a woman with short black hair and the only other person in the helicopter, "But it's your move."  
  
Quistis sighed impatiently. "Come on, Xu. Don't you ever think about anything other than Triple Triad?"  
  
Xu smiled. "You know you're going to lose."  
  
It was an obvious fact. Between the pilot and copilot's seats in the helicopter was an empty space upon which was set up a most one-sided match of Triple Triad. Xu had captured all of the cards on the table save one, a singular card trapped in the upper left corner of the field.  
  
Quistis shrugged. "What rules are we playing with again? Same Wall?"  
  
"Don't even try it," Xu said. "I'm a high-ranking member of the most elite Triple Triad organization in the world. You can't fool me that easily."  
  
Quistis seemed distracted. "Look over there. There are two people on the ground running around the perimeter of the ruins. Almost seems like they're looking for something."  
  
"I would say s-...Quistis!"  
  
Quistis was forced to roughly jerk the helicopter to the right as a single beam of light shot up from the ever-increasing glow of the ruins. This effectively ruined the setup of the Triple Triad game.  
  
"Our game!" Xu wailed mournfully. "I was looking forward to taking that Cerberus of your hands."  
  
"Hey! There was no trade rule!"  
  
Xu smiled mischievously. "There's always a trade rule, Quistis. We just didn't set one at the beginning."  
  
"Will you forget about that? We were almost killed because your damn game was distracting me."  
  
"Hey, it's not my fault we were...almost skewered by an out-of-the-ordinary discharge of energy? What's going on here?"  
  
Quistis sighed in exasperation. Xu was a good soldier, Quistis had to admit, but she was the most absent-minded SeeD in all of Balamb Garden, albeit one of the most skilled and experienced.   
  
Xu shrugged. "Was it something I...I...I think we have a problem."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Clest ran as fast as his legs could carry him, but not necessarily away from the ruins as his friend Luts would certainly have appreciated. "Damn SeeD! Showing up at a time like this...they'll probably take the crystal themselves."  
  
"Look at that!" Luts yelled over the ever-increasing howl of the wind.  
  
A single beam of light shot up from the very center of the ruins, reaching far enough into the air that its end was not visible, assuming it had a conceivable end. It ceased abruptly shortly after it began, though it nearly vaporized the SeeD helicopter that had crossed its path for a split second. The fool of a pilot who flew the craft simply spun around and began to head for the center of the ruins once more.  
  
Clest stopped running, causing Luts to nearly trip as he halted abruptly to keep near his companion. "Those SeeDs never learn."  
  
"You're telling me," Luts said wryly. "I have to deal with an ex-SeeD every day, and he's worse than they are."  
  
"Not funny," Clest muttered, his eyes fixed upon the ruins, which were now practically exploding with power. "Did those robed guys go into the ruins?"  
  
"If so, I think we lost our prize."  
  
Clest kicked a small pile of rubble, causing it to scatter across the hard ground. "Damn it, why would they run into something like that? Unless..." The scheming young man's mouth slowly twisted into a smile. "Unless they were absolutely sure there would be no danger to themselves or their 'Fire Shard' or whatever they called it. I say we go after them."  
  
"I say you're out of your mind!"  
  
"Suit yourself," Clest said with a shrug. "That two thousand gil will sure go a long way..." At that, Clest began to walk toward the massive, blinding energy field that still widened around the ruins.   
  
Luts gave an unsatisfactory grunt, and cursed his idiot of a friend before calling, "Wait for me!"   
  
As he ran, Clest continually looked up toward the SeeD helicopter in the sky. He cursed as he noticed it was coming gradually closer to he and Luts. "Luts!" he cried. "Hurry it up! Those SeeDs are probably coming to stop us!"  
  
"Maybe that's not such a bad thing!" Luts replied.  
  
Clest spun around to face his friend. "Come on, be a little optimistic-...what are you looking at?"  
  
Clest followed his friend's line of sight, finding that Luts had been staring at the SeeD helicopter in the distance. Noticing that the helicopter was no longer moving forward, Clest spun around and gave his full attention to the most unusual spectacle before him. The helicopter seemed to be frozen completely; not only was it not moving, but its blades had stopped spinning as well. It seemed to be utterly frozen in time for several seconds, then was surrounded by an odd white aura that soon grew to be an all-encompassing ball of blinding energy. The energy shrunk and closed in upon itself until it had reduced to nothing.  
  
The helicopter was gone.   
  
"W...what...what the hell..." Clest stammered. "What the hell did that?"  
  
Luts could barely speak. "It was...hit with one of those...those beams from...the ruins!"  
  
"All right, you win," Clest said quickly. "Let's get the hell out of here!"   
  
"Gladly."  
  
And so, after much trouble on their part to retrieve a piece of an item crucial to a being whose very existence was yet unknown to anyone other than his closest servants, the mercenaries ran. They had finally come to the realization that what their black-robed targets had said was true: they had no idea what they were dealing with. In fact, there were few who did, or had the knowledge to figure out the significance of the Fire Shard to the fate of existence. Clest and Luts cared little for the fate of all who had ever lived, however; they simply ran. They ran faster than they had ever run throughout the course of their lives, for they had never felt such a sense of fear and foreboding as they did when the energy welling forth from the Centra Ruins began to approach them as if it were chasing the two comrades.   
  
If only they had known what then they did not.  
  
Luts was the first to be caught by the energy. Unlike the SeeD helicopter, his body was simply dragged away into the white nothingness that was the energy. Clest, watching on in horror, followed closely behind his friend, but to where and when he did not know.  
  
He would know soon enough. 


	3. Chapter Two: Visions of the Past

Chapter Two:  
Visions of the Past  
  
Pain.  
  
At first, he could feel nothing. He could not move, nor could he breathe or blink; however, he was fully aware of his surroundings, which consisted of white nothingness so intense it was painful to stare into it for any length of time. However, this state of absolute nothingness was followed by the most painful mental state he could ever experience.  
  
Remembrance.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Balamb Garden, just over two years before the present date. Clest stood in the hall on which his last class of the day was located with the young woman he considered to be the love of his life. The scene seemed to open up on a small argument in which Clest's trust was put on trial.  
  
"...don't know about this. The training areas can be dangerous if you try to get through it alone." Clest's voice seemed to fade into audibility in an odd sort of way.   
  
The girl, who was no older than Clest, sighed. "You know I can take care of myself. Besides, I'm not too stupid to run if I run into one of those T-Rexaurs. Don't worry about me."  
  
"At least let me go with you," Clest pleaded. "We can make it through to the Secret Area together, with a little luck."  
  
The girl was becoming frustrated. "I can take care of myself, Clest! Don't you trust me?"  
  
"Yes, but..."  
  
"Damn it, Clest! You need to have some faith in me." She began to walk away. "I'm going, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."  
  
Clest could only mutter feebly in response. "Reene..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Balamb Garden Training Center, that night. It so happened to be the night before Clest's final SeeD exams. The next day, Clest was to become a SeeD.  
  
Clest could not help but follow Reene into the Training Center. However, he oddly observed that she had not yet encountered a single monster on her way to the so-called "secret area" used as a meeting place by any SeeD and trainee who knew of its existence. Clest had been to the secret area with Reene on several occasions, but never for long. He had also heard that she would often travel there alone, and, whether from suspicion or worry, he had decided to follow her.  
  
It would prove to be to Reene's disadvantage that he did so.  
  
Unfortunately for Clest, his suspicions were confirmed. As Reene neared the training area, another young man of about Clest's age took her into his arms and kissed her for quite a long while. Smiling, two began to walk into the secret area, but Clest was not about to be cheated on so easily. He could not control his anger as he leapt from his hiding place. "Damn you, Jiro!" he screamed at the young man accompanying Reene. "She's mine!"  
  
The black-haired young man coolly turned around. "Not anymore, Clest. I suggest you leave us alone before I'm forced to resort to..." He drew a long katana from his belt. "Desperate measures."  
  
Clest was quick to pull his gunblade from its holster. "You son of a bitch! I'm going to kick your fucking ass!"  
  
"Insults will get you nowhere, Clest. If you're ready to get the shit beaten out of you, I'd be glad to do so!"  
  
The two young men charged at each other, their blades meeting with a sharp clang. Again and again they struck at one another, but neither were able to gain the upper hand in the battle until Clest revealed the fact that his gunblade was loaded; he brought the weapon down upon that of his opponent and pulled the trigger, causing a blast of energy to jolt through the blade. Jiro was thrown back into the wall, his weapon shattered.   
  
Clest was victorious. But...  
  
"Clest! No!" Reene screamed suddenly. She leaped in front of him and threw him back with all the force she could muster.  
  
Confusion.  
  
The sight of the flying insect beast.  
  
The flash of its scythe-like blade.  
  
Blood. A scream.  
  
Reene lay on the ground, her hands grasping desperately at her stomach. "C...Clest..." she muttered. "I'm...sor...ry..."  
  
Before he could reach her to comfort her, to tell her he forgave her, Clest fell to his knees. Reene was dead.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The office of Headmaster Cid, head of Balamb Garden, two hours later.   
  
"That isn't true." Clest could not manage to say more.  
  
"It is! I'm telling you, he persuaded her to go to the Training Center, and picked a fight with me. Unfortunately, he won the fight at Reene's expense!" Jiro's blatant lie sounded somewhat convincing as he screamed it to Headmaster Cid.  
  
"She saved my life from a Granaldo," Clest muttered. "She...she saved my..."  
  
"He killed her to distract me."  
  
Clest's eyes suddenly widened. "Bullshit! If she hadn't gone to meet you, she would never have been killed by that Granaldo! You saw the whole thing, you fucking liar!"  
  
"Please, Mr. Valian, calm down." Cid said. "If Jiro's story is true, I'll be forced to expel you from the Garden. You may be convicted of murder by Balamb officials-"  
  
Clest sighed sorrowfully. "Don't bother. I'm leaving Balamb Garden." He began to walk away.  
  
"I'm not done with you!" screamed Jiro. However, Cid silenced him.  
  
"Leave him be."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Exhaustion.  
  
Submission.  
  
Anger.  
  
Pain.  
  
As the unending white abyss returned, Clest found that his ability to move was returned to him. The distraught young man took the opportunity to close his tear-filled eyes and scream, falling to his knees in agony. The pain of his past was far worse than the pain of any weapon or magic, and it plagued him each and every day. However, he had never re-experienced those critical moments quite as vividly as he had within the white energy.   
  
"Good, Clest. Scream. Allow your anger to course through your veins, boy. Soon, your destiny shall be fulfilled, and the Fire Crystal will belong to us."  
  
Clest struggled to his feet and opened his eyes. Before him stood a tall, imposing man clad in a gold-trimmed black cloak. His white hair seemed to flow in a non-existent wind, and his glowing red eyes bore into Clest as if they were knives slowly making their way into the very core of his being. "Wh...who are you?" Clest managed to stammer.  
  
"I am but a servant, much like yourself. I am the Supreme Avatar of our lord Chaos; often upon the mortal plane I am called Garland. Once, long ago, I was a human such as you, a mere vessel of our lord and father. Now I am a part of his being, an extension of himself, if you will. Through me, his most important tasks are carried out."  
  
"I don't care," Clest said. "Am I...dead? How do you know my name?"  
  
Garland laughed, producing a cruel, mocking chuckle. "No! You are far from dead, vessel. In fact, you are more alive than you have ever been; destiny closes its grip around you. Soon your body shall serve Chaos in finding what he seeks. And as for how I know your name...you shall discover soon enough."  
  
Clest raised an eyebrow confusedly. "I don't understand. You're telling me that I'm going to help some guy named Chaos find something? There's no way in hell. Send me home."  
  
"It is not within my power to do so." Garland shrugged. "However, you will be sent home eventually, once your assigned Seeker has possessed you."  
  
"Possessed? I'm not losing control of myself." Clest muttered. He could think of nothing more to say to the odd man before him.  
  
"You have a very resistant subconscious, Clest, but that can be changed. Perhaps you would like to see that unfaithful little wench die once again."  
  
"No one talks like that about Reene!" The angered young man reached for his gunblade, but found that it had disappeared. "Let me go! Get me out of here!"  
  
Garland simply laughed. "Good, good. Your anger is rising. When you have become sufficiently angry, your hatred will overcome the good within your soul. It is then that your destiny will be fulfilled. Submit to it, Clest! Submit! Do not fight it! You know that killing frees your soul of its burdens, boy. You cannot resist it much lon-"  
  
Clest stared on in wonder as the odd man's body seemed to shatter as if it were glass, then disappear altogether. The white abyss around him began to melt away into a deeper, more painful black void, and Clest suddenly became aware of an intense, pounding pain within his head. He felt as if he were flying through the black field of nothingness for several long moments before passing out altogether; however, he believed he heard a voice as he fell away into a state of unconsciousness.  
  
"Look! The boy is awakening!"   
  
* * * * *  
  
On the morning of the third day since his encounter with the white energy at the Centra Ruins, Clest Valian's eyes shot open violently, immediately being stung by the light that flooded into the room. "Reene!" he screamed, leaping from the bed in which he lay violently and collapsing on the floor with a loud thud. He looked up, and found that two oddly dressed individuals, a man and a woman, stood above him. "Where am I? Where is that...that man?"  
  
As the man helped Clest to his feet, the woman spoke to him in a tender, reassuring voice. "Welcome back to reality, young man. You have been brought to the town of Albrook from the site of quite a strange phenomenon, but I'm sure you already knew about that. As for any man...there was no one else with you when we found you."  
  
"Al...Albrook?" Clest asked confusedly. "I've never heard of this place." He was silent for a moment until the full impact of what the woman had said hit him as if it were a brick. If no others were found with him, where was Luts?  
  
"Where are you from, boy?" Asked the man, his voice betraying slight amusement. "Thamasa?"  
  
"Thamasa?" Clest said. "No, I'm from Balamb. You know, Balamb, not far from Balamb Garden."  
  
"Balamb? Balamb Garden?" The woman was obviously puzzled. "Are those new villages? There have been a lot of those springing up lately in the Serpent Trench region."  
  
"But he should still know about Albrook," the man said pointedly.  
  
"Look," Clest said. "If you could just tell me where I am and how long it will take me to get back to where you found me, I'd appreciate it."  
  
Both the man and the woman seemed stunned. "Albrook is a city under the jurisdiction of the Figaro kingdom," said the man. "It has been for about four years now. You should know about Figaro, or at least their king; Lord Edgar Figaro and his brother were members of that group of Returners that defeated Kefka four years ago."  
  
Clest could not speak for a long while. "I...maybe I'm having a little amnesia or something," Clest said finally. "Let's see...what year is it?"  
  
The woman shrugged. "Five years after the rending of the world. Why do you ask?"  
  
"No," Clest said amusedly. "No, you're joking. This time period doesn't exist. It was so long ago that historians don't even consider its existence plausible. No..." Clest paused. "I think I need some air." He swiftly walked through the door of the small, two-room house, his eyes not wandering to survey the residence as he hurriedly departed from it.  
  
The quite confused young man found himself in what resembled a residential area on the water. He stood upon a wide road of gray bricks that extended twenty feet to the water before him, where its entire length was lined with a wooden railing. Looking around him, Clest could see that the house from which he had emerged was one of many in a long row of similar houses that extended down the road, being broken in several places by stairways that led to a higher-elevated section of the town. The sun shone brightly in the sky to Clest's right, showing him that he was facing south. For the first time, the young man realized that the water before him was the ocean; he approached the railing, and, looking toward an area of piers, spotted archaic steamships arriving and leaving the town carrying both cargo and other people. Clest noted that each of these people were dressed in old-style clothing that consisted of simple dresses or wide breeches, a shirt, and a vest or overshirt.  
  
Most would think of it as being quite a serene and relaxing sight. Clest did not agree.  
  
Much to his dismay, Clest could think of no other explanation for his new surroundings than that given to him by those whose house in which he had awoken. Though his knowledge and grasp of reality denied that time travel was quite impossible, his mind could not formulate any other solution than a leap through the ages. It was always possible that he had died, but Clest greatly doubted this possibility. The intense pain in his head felt quite real to him.  
  
"Have I really gone back in time?" Clest questioned, speaking to none in particular. However, he received an unexpected reply from behind him.  
  
"It certainly seems as if you have, does it not?"  
  
Clest spun around to face a tall, blond-haired, and fairly young man dressed in what appeared to be elaborate, regal clothing. His eyes looked the dumbfounded Clest over before he spoke again. "Edgar Figaro, king of the Figaro kingdom," He said, extending a hand. "I'm going to help you as best I can."  
  
Clest slowly shook the man's hand. "I'm...Clest. Clest Valian." He released Edgar's hand. "Now, can you explain to me what in creation that white field of energy was, and why I seem to be standing quite a few thousands of years before I was born?"  
  
"You'll have to come with me," Edgar said. "I and those with me will try to figure out the answers to your questions, provided you will help us."  
  
"N...no problem," Clest replied. As an afterthought, he added, "Was there another man with me when you found me, by any chance?" He had not quite accepted the information given to him by those who had revived him.  
  
"No, there was no one else, but if he was drawn into the energy field with you, he could be anywhere."  
  
Clest's eyes looked toward the cold ground. "Anywhere..." 


	4. Chapter Three: Not Just Anywhere

Chapter Three:  
Not Just Anywhere  
  
Rani violently threw his blue Shinra helmet upon the grass-covered ground. He was tired of waiting.  
  
The young commander looked up at the monstrous dome of fiercely glowing white energy before himself, his feelings a mix of boredom, frustration, and worry. After testing what affect the energy field would have on an object (it should be mentioned that this test consisted of thrusting a stick into the field, then removing it), President Reeve himself had ordered two squads of Neo-Shinra soldiers to the site of the energy. One squad was to enter the energy and survey the area within, if possible, while the other kept watch, allowing none near the vicinity of the dome. Sure enough, one group had entered the massive field, while the squad commanded by Rani had remained outside to keep watch. It was fortunate that Rani had, in fact, remained to patrol the perimeter of the energy field, as they had found a man lying unconscious upon the ground at its border.  
  
That had been three days ago.  
  
Rani was a man of action. If he had nothing important or exiting to do, he would become bored very quickly. Thus, it is no surprise that he was fed up with waiting for the other squadron of soldiers to emerge. He had his orders, however, and would not go against the wishes of his superiors and travel into the dome. Besides, the other squadron could be dead, for all anybody knew; the dome may not have been as safe as was thought to begin with.  
  
"Commander." A fully uniformed and helmeted man who had approached behind him cut Rani's thoughts short.  
  
Rani ran a hand through his sweat-dampened black hair and placed his helmet on his head before turning around to face the soldier. "What do you need?"  
  
"The young man we found the other day is waking up, sir," the soldier said, the helmet distorting his voice slightly. "He seems pretty disoriented, but I think he might be able to tell us about the origins of this...thing."  
  
"All right," Rani said with a nod. "Take me to him."  
  
"Right this way, sir. We have him in the medical tent."  
  
As Rani and his subordinate walked trough the camp, the young commander noted that all of his soldiers were at least as bored as he was. Though some played cards or dice, few did anything of any entertainment value. The vast majority of the soldiers simply sat in small groups and spoke little, being hot and tired from having to wear their full suits of standard-issue Shinra armor all day. Though they were also required to carry their machine guns at all times, the soldiers had been allowed to disregard the rule by Rani, who had quickly become tired of it himself.   
  
When the two soldiers reached their destination, Rani threw open the flap of the spacious medical tent and walked in briskly. Though interrogation was not his forte, he was bored enough to do just about any task available to him.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Luts held his head in his hands, his eyes closed due to the pounding pain that seemed to originate within his head. He rubbed his eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light, and took in his surroundings. He appeared to be sitting upon an uncomfortable cot within a large, white tent that seemed to be used for field medical purposes, judging from the various medical equipment located within. However, all of the medical equipment appeared to be quite antiquated. He did not have a great deal of time to think, however, for a man clad in modern blue battle armor soon confronted him.   
  
"I'm sure you would like to know where you are, if you haven't already guessed," the man said. "You were found at the site of quite a strange phenomenon, to say the least, but you are probably quite acquainted with that. We brought you into our camp three days ago."  
  
Luts cleared his throat. "So...I've been asleep for three days?" he asked.  
  
"That's right," the man answered. Luts noted that his blue helmet seemed to muffle and distort his voice to some degree.  
  
"So who are you people?" the mercenary asked. "Where...are we, exactly?"  
  
The man before Luts removed his helmet, revealing a thin face with black eyes and hair. "I'm Commander Rani Garas, squad leader of Neo-Shinra Squadron Beta-zero-eleven. We're right outside something you couldn't possibly have missed: a large dome of unidentifiable white energy." Rani eyed Luts oddly as he finished speaking.  
  
Luts sighed. "Neo-Shinra? Is that some sort of military? If it's anything like SeeD-"  
  
"Where are you from?" Rani said. "Wutai?"  
  
"No, I'm not really from anywhere. I'm a mercenary."  
  
"Then you've surely heard of Shinra. It practically owned the world at one time." Rani paused. "It's mako reactors once supplied the entire free world with power. Where in hell have you been for the past twenty years?"  
  
Luts stood up with a bit of effort. "Look. I really don't know much about the Centra Continent. If you could just tell me where the guy that was with me is, I'd appreciate it."  
  
"You were the only one we found," Rani replied with a shrug. "And I have no idea what the Centra Continent is. There's no such landform in the world."  
  
"All right," Luts said angrily. "What the hell kind of a joke is this? It's not funny, and it's starting to piss me off." Despite the protests of Rani and his soldier companion, Luts stalked out of the tent and into the Shinra camp.  
  
Unfortunately, the sights of the camp simply served to further confuse Luts. Looking around, he found that he was being stared at by quite a few soldiers dressed in similar battle garb as those he had already spoken to. Though he could not discern their expressions, as the dark visors of their helmets hid their faces, Luts could plainly see that most of the soldiers regarded him with suspicion, as if he were a prisoner of some sort. Feeling quite uncomfortable, Luts quickly reentered the medical tent and addressed Rani.  
  
"Where's my sword?" he said nervously. "I'm getting out of here."  
  
Rani shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't be possible. President Shinra wants to talk to you."  
  
"Damn it, I don't want to talk to any presidents! I just want to get out of here and find my friend, so if you could just give me my sword and let me go, I'd appreciate it."  
  
"Sorry," Rani said simply. "I-"  
  
"I don't need a fucking apology!" Luts screamed. He breathed deeply, then sat upon the cot abruptly. "Just...leave me alone. I don't want to talk to anybody right now. I need to think."  
  
Rani shrugged. "As soon as you give us some helpful information, we'll leave you alone."  
  
"All right, damn it. What do you want to know?"  
  
"Let's start from the beginning," Rani said. "What is your name, and where are you from?"  
  
"The name's Luts Vanguarde. Like I said, I don't really have a hometown, but I used to be a member of the Galbadian Army. I quit when that Sorceress took power in Galbadia, because her plans of world domination didn't really interest me. Besides, things were getting too violent back then." He sighed. "Of course, if you've never heard of the Centra Continent, you've probably never heard of Galbadia, either. Where are we, anyway?" Luts added as an afterthought.  
  
"Just south of Junon," Rani replied confusedly. "You know, the city that's famous for two things: the fact that it is now the location of Neo-Shinra Headquarters and the fact that the Junon Cannon blew Emerald WEAPON's head off four years ago."  
  
Luts sat up suddenly. "What the hell...WEAPON?" He scratched his head. "This might sound like a stupid question, but...what year is it now?"  
  
Rani shrugged. "2005 AC. Why?"  
  
"No, it's not possible," Luts argued. "2005 AC...the ancient past? The Age of Legends? There's no way...no..."  
  
"Ancient past? Age of Legends? Perhaps I shouldn't ask you where you are from, but when."  
  
"17936 AC was the year I was hit by that god-forsaken energy. Is it possible that I was..."  
  
Rani, however, paid no attention to Luts' musings. He had already produced his PHS, a silver, boxlike communications device, from a compartment in his armor, and was pressing several buttons upon its surface. He lifted the device to his ear and began to talk into a small speaker located opposite the end that he held to his ear. "Yes, I'm Commander Rani Garas-...Yes, the commander of the Beta Squad sent to the site of the-...What do I need? I need to talk to the President! If you could just...but...damn it!" He angrily pressed a small button on the side of the device and returned the PHS to its original position. "Well," he said to Luts, "It seems like President Reeve is busy at the moment, so we won't be able to figure out when in hell you came from and why you ended up here for a while, if time travel is, in fact, the case in this situation. The only thing we can do now is wait."  
  
"But Clest..." Luts muttered. "He was also hit by the energy field."  
  
"If he was thrown through time, as well, he could be anywhere."  
  
Luts sighed dismally. "Anywhere..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Hyaa!"  
  
A swift slash. Another thick log chopped in twain by an unrealistically gargantuan sword.  
  
The sun had not yet risen above the small mountain town of Nibelheim, but Cloud Strife was restless. He had had trouble sleeping as of late, and could think of no better way to pass time than cutting things in half in his own backyard, a pastime he had always found quite entertaining when bored. Thus, the swordsman scratched his head, causing sweat from his wild yellow hair to moisten the flesh of his hand, and placed another log upon the stump he often used for chopping firewood. Taking a battle stance, Cloud's eyes narrowed and focused upon the log before him as best they could in the darkness.  
  
"Hyaa!" With a loud cry, the warrior slashed his target diagonally, creating a clean cut in the wood with his massive weapon. Tired from his laborious chopping, Cloud collapsed into the dew-laden grass and lay back, his eyes gazing up at the stars above the town.  
  
The stars. It seemed as if the stars above Nibelheim were the only part of the town that had not been completely changed by the wicked, corrupt Shinra Corporation of the recent past. Yes, Cloud knew full well that the Nibelheim in which he lay was not the Nibelheim in which he was raised; that Nibelheim had been burnt to the ground by the maniacal Sephiroth nine years before, and had subsequently been rebuilt by the Shinra of the time in its attempt to cover the madman's tracks. In fact, Shinra's only motivation for restoring the town to its former state, at least in appearance, was to hide their "failed experiment," as they called Sephiroth, from the eyes of the world. Surprisingly enough, this cover-up had worked for quite a long period of time, and had only been unveiled when Cloud had been forced to return to his hometown in his search for Sephiroth four years before.  
  
Regardless of its changes, Cloud and his wife Tifa could not bring themselves to keep away from Nibelheim for any great length of time. It had actually been Tifa's decision to return; she believed Cloud needed to return to his place of birth so as to get over the death of the first woman he had ever loved.  
  
Had he truly loved Aeris? Cloud was not certain himself. He had certainly been physically attracted to her, as she was a beautiful woman; however, had he actually loved her? The two had met unexpectedly in a time when both had mixed emotions, though Cloud's were much more chaotic and maddening than those of Aeris. Perhaps he had merely been trying to rationalize with himself, trying to convince himself of his own humanity for reasons he was then unaware of. It was also possible that she did not actually care for Cloud as even she herself thought she did. In fact, it was quite possible that she had only loved cloud due to the fact that his personality had been derived from that of Aeris' former lover, who had been a friend of Cloud during his days as a Shinra soldier and had been infused with mako and Jenova cells alongside him. Whether or not there existed true mutual feelings between them was insignificant, however; when Sephiroth killed Aeris, Cloud felt as he had years before while watching his hometown burn to the ground around him.   
  
It had taken Cloud quite a while to overcome the grief and emptiness that remained within him after Aeris' death, and he had only done so with the help of his close friend Tifa. By the time he had overcome his grief completely, Cloud's feelings and stolen individuality had matured to the point that he realized he was actually destined for the woman who had helped him overcome his problems so many times in the past.  
  
The very woman of whom his thoughts were focused upon interrupted Cloud's thoughts.  
  
"What are you doing?" Tifa muttered tiredly. "Do you know what time it is?"  
  
For a long while, Cloud could only stare at his wife, her features dimly illuminated by the light upon the porch on which she stood. Her black hair hung down to her thighs, and was splayed haphazardly over her deep brown eyes; she had obviously just risen from bed. Finally, the warrior rose from the ground and leaned against his sword. "I couldn't sleep," he said. "I was just thinking about...things."  
  
Tifa shrugged. She had been doing quite a bit of thinking lately, as well, but her thoughts generally involved the intricacies and financial demands of having a third mouth to feed in the household, or lingered wistfully upon questions of how things would be if she were pregnant. "Why don't you come back inside. It's cold out here."  
  
With a sigh, Cloud approached his wife and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry for waking you," he said, staring intently into Tifa's eyes.   
  
Tifa smiled. "You can make it up to me..." she muttered, her face ever nearing that of Cloud...  
  
A loud, constant buzz shot through the air, effectively ruining the couple's reverie.  
  
"Damn it," Cloud cursed, releasing Tifa and storming into the house through the back door. "PHS." Reaching a steel box upon his kitchen counter, Cloud proceeded to pull a smaller box away from its position upon the larger box and brought the device up to his head. "Hello?"  
  
The voice of Reeve, the president of the Neo-Shinra Corporation, responded. "I'm sorry for waking you, Cloud, but we've got a bit of a problem up here at Junon."  
  
Cloud sighed. "No, we were already awake. What's the problem?"  
  
"You've already heard the news of that odd field of energy that has shown up just south of town, right?"  
  
"Yes," Cloud said with a shudder. "I haven't seen anything like it since...Sephiroth..."  
  
"No, this has nothing to do with HIM, thankfully," Reeve was quick to respond. "But it may be that this particular incident is far more intriguing than the barrier of the North Crater. You see, I have recently received a report that a young man was found at the site of the incident by one of my patrol teams. He claims to have come from the year 17936."  
  
"Time travel? What the hell..."  
  
"As strange as it sounds, I have a feeling that we can't just disregard what he says. Also, I sent a squadron of soldiers into the energy three days ago, and they've disappeared. If time travel is an option, there is no telling where, or when, they could be. I'd really appreciate it if you would come to Junon right away; maybe you'll have some idea what is going on."  
  
"How should I know?" Cloud muttered. "You should probably call Nanaki. He'll know what to do."  
  
"I can't get in touch with Cosmo Canyon. You're the only person I could think of to call."  
  
Cloud thought over the other possible candidates for the job of identifying the odd energy. Barret? No, he was too busy with Corel. Cid? They might just need his particularly speedy modes of transportation anyway. Vincent? There was no telling where he was. Yuffie? No. End of story. "Well..." Cloud muttered, "All right. I've got to go now." At that he hung up the PHS.  
  
"Who was it?" Tifa asked tiredly.  
  
"It was Reeve," Cloud replied. "He wants us to head over to Junon. It's something about that energy field we thought was just a Neo-Shinra experiment."  
  
"So it isn't just an experiment?" Tifa questioned.  
  
"No. There's a bit more to it than that, according to Reeve."  
  
Tifa approached her husband and put an arm around his waist. "We can head there tomorrow," she said, settling her head against his well-muscled arm. "For now, let's just try to enjoy the rest of the night."  
  
Cloud was happy to comply. 


	5. Chapter Four: Explanations and Mysteries

Chapter Four:  
Explanations and Mysteries  
  
"Here you are," said the sharply dressed Figaro soldier, "Your...what did you call it?"  
  
"Gunblade," Clest replied, accepting his weapon from the soldier. "Thanks." He had quickly become bored within two hours of being introduced into the camp of Lord Edgar, and had decided to relieve his boredom and vent his frustration with a bit of combat practice. Thus, after heading over to a large area that had been blocked off for training purposes, Clest had been returned his weapon and given free reign of the training equipment in camp.  
  
Though the mercenary almost laughed at the primitive nature of the training equipment, Clest was bored enough to beat the hell out of just about anything. He first set up a sort of training dummy that consisted of a large log set up on a spinning pivot, from which jutted steel poles. After securing the dummy in place, the bored warrior soon began slashing at its steel extensions, causing the dummy to spin in place.  
  
It was not long before Clest increased the intensity of his training. He began to slash at the training apparatus fiercely while deftly dodging the ever-oscillating steel rods that constantly threatened to collide with his darting body. He landed several hits upon the body of the dummy itself, purposely attempting not to thrust his gunblade far into the wood so as to avoid annoyingly lodging it within the dummy, but found himself spending the vast majority of his time dodging the flailing extensions of steel that constantly swung in his direction. Though he was doing quite an excellent job of keeping himself from being hit, Clest knew he could not avoid the rods for long; thus, he was not surprised when his gunblade was thrown from his hand by one rod as another tripped him, causing him to fall painfully backward into the grass.  
  
Cursing, Clest grasped his gunblade and pulled himself from the ground. With a cry, he charged into the dummy, which had stopped spinning, and sliced his weapon through its center, pulling the trigger of the gunblade the moment its blade came into contact with the wood. The subsequent blast of energy through the gunblade propelled the weapon completely through the dummy and tossed the top half of the devastated training apparatus ten feet back from its bottom half.  
  
Clest sighed as a long, slender shell dropped to the ground. He heard a slight click as the automatic weapon prepared another energy round for firing, but flipped the safety on the firing mechanism of the gunblade to avoid expending another round. "Eleven to go in the gunblade, plus another twelve in my belt," he muttered to himself. "I don't suppose they'd have AL30 energy rounds in a world where steam has only recently been invented, so I'd better conserve my ammo."   
  
Turning around, Clest noted that a small audience of soldiers had gathered at a safe distance behind him and had watched as he blew the helpless training dummy in half. Smiling, Clest pointed his weapon at them, released the safety, and pulled the trigger, causing a deafening blast of energy to charge the gunblade for a split second. Much to Clest's amusement, this caused all but one of the soldiers to duck and cover their ears, only looking up when they were absolutely positive they had survived the harmless charging of the blade in one piece.  
  
"It'll only hurt you if I do that once I've already run you through," he said with a laugh. "Watch."  
  
Charging at the remaining half of the training dummy, Clest thrust his gunblade into its center while pulling the trigger of the weapon. The lower half of the dummy was virtually blown to splinters, and, much to Clest's dismay, another round fell to the grass, soon being replaced by the automatic mechanism of the weapon. Nine to go in the gunblade, plus another twelve in reserve.  
  
The crowd of soldiers did not seem amused. However, the single man who had not so much as flinched at Clest's joking discharge of energy stepped forward, simultaneously attaching wicked claw-like weapons with foot-long curved talons to his hands. Clest had assumed he was simply a soldier; however, he was dressed somewhat differently than the other soldiers, wearing nothing but a tight, sleeveless shirt, spacious breeches, and a light gold-trimmed cloak bearing the symbol of the Figaro kingdom: a golden eagle grasping a green arrow in its talons emblazoned upon a red background. He was similar in appearance to the king; his short hair was blond and his eyes were azure blue, but he was obviously more muscular and of larger build than Edgar. Smiling, he approached Clest, who, though tall, was several inches shorter than he. "You seem pretty skilled in handling that thing," he said amiably. "How about a little sparring? I'm probably about as bored as you are waiting around here, and I've been here quite a bit longer than you."  
  
Clest eyed the man oddly. How could he possibly think he could stand up to a gunblade with those claws of his? Regardless of his misgivings, however, Clest could not help but accept the man's offer. "Well...I suppose, since neither of us seems to have anything better to do right now." He took his usual battle stance, his gunblade pointed at the chest of his opponent. "Are you ready?"  
  
The large man shrugged. "Sure. Let's go!"  
  
Despite the fact that Clest charged forth with all the speed he could muster, his opponent was too fast for even his SeeD training to counter effectively. The man darted forth and swung his claws at Clest with full force. Though Clest was able to block the attack, he was thrown off guard and nearly tripped by his opponent, but managed to leap over the lightning-fast sweeping kick sent at his legs. Clest then took the opportunity to launch a series of swift thrusts at his opponent's chest, and was surprised to find that each was blocked in quick succession. He was forced to duck under a high strike before attacking again, but his subsequent slash was wild and easily blocked by his speedy opponent. Becoming frustrated with his lack of performance, Clest literally leapt at his opponent, striking diagonally downward with his weapon, but found himself at the mercy of his opponent when he was violently tossed to the ground by a savage kick.  
  
The large but amazingly fast man aided the battered Clest in rising to his feet with a smile. "Another round?" he said, still as cheerful as he had been before the fight began.  
  
Clest nodded, a mischievous smile upon his lips. "Gladly." With a cry, the mercenary charged his opponent as he had the dummy, intending to startle him and knock him off his feet with a blast from his gunblade.   
  
The large fighter shook his head. "I think we've all seen that one before," he said, much to the amusement of the observing soldiers. To the surprise of Clest, the man did nothing at all in response to the charge; he simply stood as still as if he were the dummy that Clest had reduced to here splinters. The gunblade came ever closer, closer, closer...  
  
Suddenly, the man's eyes shot wide open. He planted his feet firmly in the ground, extending his hands forward, and grinned. With a loud roar, a blinding beam of energy shot forth from his extended hands, colliding with Clest's gunblade just as he pulled the trigger. The hapless Clest was thrown no less than twenty feet backward, landing painfully on his back in the grass. To the enjoyment of the large man, this caused a cheer to erupt from the observers of the battle.  
  
Clest pulled his aching body from the ground with a curse and placed his gunblade in its holster at his side. "Damn..." he muttered. "How did you do that?"  
  
The large man simply shrugged, removing his claw-like weapons from his hands as he spoke. "It is a combination of the teachings of the late Master Duncan and one hell of a lot of practice." He smiled once more. "I'm Sabin Figaro, the brother of the king. I was sent here to bring you to the meeting, but I couldn't help seeing if that weapon of yours would do much good against me." He smiled. "Well, we'd better be going now."   
  
Clest rubbed his back. "Meeting?"  
  
"Just follow me. You'll find out soon enough."  
  
Clest was quick to comply. Following Sabin out of the training area and through the camp, the mercenary from the future was able to observe his surroundings in detail for the first time. He could see that the camp consisted of little more than heavy tents, though it seemed apparent that quite a few of the Figaro soldiers had opted to sleep in the open air as opposed to within the stuffy tents. The curious young man observed that the camp was lively with activity; many soldiers walked from place briskly, as if in a hurry. In the sky, the sun had just recently reached its highest point, reminding Clest painfully that he had not eaten in three days. Venturing to bother his guide, Clest voiced his discomfort. "Is it at all possible that I get some food? As far as I know, it's been three days since I've eaten anything."  
  
"Edgar had better have food at this goddess-forsaken meeting of his," the man replied. I'm a bit hungry myself. Of course, everyone says I'm always hungry, which, I must admit, is not far from the truth." He shrugged. "If not, I'm sure we will be able to convince the cook to fix up a meal."  
  
Clest shrugged and continued to follow Sabin, glancing every so often at the camp around him. Finally, the two reached a large tent, its entrance flanked by flags bearing the Figarian crest. "Here it is," said Sabin. "It sounds like they've already started, so don't make a lot of noise going in."  
  
Sabin's statements seemed to have merit; Edgar, who sat at the head of a large wooden table in the center of the tent, was finishing a statement as Clest and Sabin entered. "...Don't understand it. There is no magic left in our world, much less any that would...Oh! Hello, Clest. Have a seat. I believe our food should arrive in a short while." He turned to his brother with a smile. "You challenged him to a fight, no doubt."  
  
Sabin simply grinned back at his brother. "You know me." He took a seat to the left of Edgar and proceeded to recline in his chair.  
  
While taking his seat, Clest was able to get a bit of a look around the tent. Though it was quite large, the spacious tent contained nothing other than the table in its center and a small chest located in a corner. The odd conglomeration of people at the table caught Clest's eye: besides Lord Edgar and his brother Sabin, there sat a blond teenage girl in colorful clothing; an oddly silent, contemplative woman with emerald green hair; a pale man with long, white hair who wore a leather trench coat; a man who appeared to be dressed in the royal colors of a kingdom other than that ruled by Edgar; and a man decked out in the regalia of the chancellor of Figaro. Clest took his seat, which happened to be located at the opposite end of the table from Edgar.  
  
"Now that we've all arrived," Edgar began, clearing his throat, "We can commence this conference. Though there is much to tell in the odd case of the sudden appearance of energy at Kefka's tower, I believe it would be best to get to the first main point of the meeting: namely, where or when did this Clest Valian come from."  
  
All eyes turned toward Clest, giving him an odd feeling of discomfort. He looked to each of the occupants of the table before looking toward Edgar, who continued. "As you know, Clest, you were found three days ago by an expeditionary crew sent to investigate the phenomenon at the ruins. We have gathered here to discern how you arrived there, and where you were before you did so. Thus, it is probably fitting that I introduce the members of this small committee before we begin discussing any details. I'm sure you know my brother Sabin and I by now," Edgar said, motioning to his brother slightly. He then turned to the green-haired woman. "This is Terra Branford. She is half-esper, if that means anything to you, and is familiar with the workings of magic. This," he said, pointing at the pale man, "Is Setzer Gabbiani, owner of the only airship in the world and a damn good gambler." Edgar then regarded the teenage girl. "This is Relm Arrowny. She may be young, but she has magic in her blood." The king turned to the other two individuals at the table. "This is Albrecht, the royal chancellor of Figaro, and a messenger from the Doma kingdom to the east."  
  
Edgar sighed. "Now, Clest, I'm sure those present would be interested in hearing your story."  
  
Clest shrugged. "All right," he said. "There's really not much for me to tell. I was at the Centra Ruins-...erm...the Centra Ruins are considered to be one of the most dangerous locations on the planet in my time. Anyway, I had gone to the ruins with a friend of mine looking for a certain item that had been stolen by a certain group of people. Just as we were on the verge of retrieving the damn thing, that energy caught us and threw us through time, apparently."  
  
"Then where is your friend?" Edgar asked. "You were the only one found at the site of the ruins."  
  
"Hell if I know," Clest replied, "But he could be anywhere in the history of the world, for all I know."  
  
"That seems to be an issue here..." muttered Edgar to himself.  
  
"Issue? Damn right its an issue," Clest said exasperatedly. "Time travel isn't possible. I mean, it isn't supposed to be possible. It defies all the laws of physics. Well, that's what every known scientist in the world says, anyway."  
  
"Very, very powerful magic..." said the blond girl, Relm, to herself suddenly. "Is the old man...right?"  
  
"What?" said Terra, the half-esper woman, in response.  
  
Relm's head suddenly shot up as if she had not expected a response. "Huh? Oh, some old friend of my grandfather was rambling on about time travel and some old historical texts or something. I didn't pay much attention to him; it seemed like he had no idea what he was talking about."  
  
"What did he say?" Sabin asked. "Does it have anything to do with our problem? Could it-"  
  
"For the love of the goddesses, slow down!" Relm sighed. "He was talking about some legend about a demon who would use time travel to fix his errors whenever he failed to take over the world. He was eventually defeated, but supposedly he didn't die. Apparently, a powerful mage banished him to the x-zone because mortals couldn't kill him. Anyway, this odd old man argued that it all wasn't a legend, and that the only proof of it were lost within a castle that was buried toward the end of the War of the Magi."   
  
Edgar, Sabin, Terra, and Setzer each shot up in their seats. They had seen such a castle before.   
  
"Did the man ever say where this castle was located?" Edgar asked.  
  
Relm shrugged. "Not really. Do you think it could be that old underground castle between Figaro and Kohlingen?"  
  
"Maybe," Setzer said, "But I don't ever remember seeing a book about a time-traveling demon while we were down there."  
  
"We've only ever looked in one bookshelf," Terra interjected, "And that is only because of the glowing jewel bound into the cover of that diary. We would never have taken any notice of those books otherwise."  
  
"Terra has a point," said Sabin. "Maybe we could go back down there and look for that book."  
  
"I don't know," Edgar replied. "Figaro Castle hasn't burrowed in three years. Right now, however, I believe our temporally-displaced friend here would like some sort of explanation of where his companion is. Unfortunately, none of us can give him one."  
  
"But think about it," Terra said. "Clest here was sent to a time period containing a dome of energy. As far as I know, this is the first time in history that such a great amount of energy has been manifested in one place, but, if what Clest says is true, there are other energy fields in the future. My point is, since Clest ended up in a time period containing an energy field, perhaps his companion did so, as well."  
  
"You have a point," Edgar said. "But I honestly doubt that traveling back into the field of energy is anything short of downright stupidity. There is absolutely no telling where a person would end up."  
  
"Or...or what could happen..."  
  
"What?" Edgar said. "Did you speak, Clest?"  
  
"When I first entered the field," Clest said distractedly, "I...I was forced to watch the most horrible scene imaginable..." He paused. "...My past. I would prefer to leave that topic untouched. I don't think it was a dream, though; an odd man confronted me before I passed out. He called me...vessel..."  
  
"I can not explain your vision," Edgar said, "But, considering the circumstances, I wouldn't doubt the truth behind it. What did the man look like?"  
  
"He...I don't know. I can't remember. All I remember is that he was talking about fulfilling my destiny or something like that."   
  
"This doesn't make any sense," Sabin said. "Who would summon up such a large amount of energy, anyway? Technically, whoever created that big energy thing is still keeping it up. Without constant upkeep..."  
  
"The spell would fail," Terra said. "But nobody in this period of time can use magic anymore. Magic is gone."  
  
Clest shrugged. "Not where I'm from. Even so, I've been taught every detail of every type of spell known to man, and there's not a single spell that can send people through time."  
  
"So magic can return..." Terra muttered to herself. "But...how?"  
  
Before Clest could give a reply, royal cooks and retainers carried several large trays of food into the tent. The sight and smell of the food was enough to remind Clest just how hungry he truly was, and he wasted no time in helping himself to the plentiful supply of food that had been given to the occupants of the tent.  
  
Edgar sighed. "For now, we eat, but I suggest you all get a good night's sleep. It would be in our best interests if we began to return to Figaro tomorrow; the ride to the underground castle is not short, by any means." 


	6. Chapter Five: Corporate Decisions

Chapter Five:  
Corporate Decisions  
  
"How much longer?"  
  
Rani sighed. Luts had asked the same question, or some variation of it, no less than ten times. "For the love of the Ancients, how am I supposed to know? President Reeve is a busy man."  
  
Luts simply shrugged and resumed kicking the wall upon which he was leaning with the heel of his boot, which served to further infuriate the much more patient soldier sitting beside him.  
  
"Do you REALLY have to do that?" Rani said, perhaps more loudly than he had intended. "That's annoying."  
  
Luts shrugged again. "You're pretty irritable."  
  
"No shit."  
  
"Does everyone act this way when they speak to the president of...whatever-the-hell-you-called-it?" Luts asked innocently enough.  
  
"Yes! I mean, no! I mean..." The hapless Neo-Shinra soldier gave a slight grunt of exasperation. He tapped his fingers against his standard-issue Shinra pants; though he had removed his armor, he was still uniformed, aside from his tight white shirt that pressed uncomfortably against his flesh. "Look," he explained, now more calm than before, "Not just anyone is allowed to talk to President Reeve. I mean, he's pretty important; he took over the company that controlled the entire known world when it was on the verge of collapse and built it back up to its former glory from practically nothing. Well, he had the help of Cloud and his-"  
  
"Who's that? Cloud? What the hell kind of name is Cloud?" Luts could not help but laugh a bit.  
  
"Shut up!" Rani said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You really aren't from around here, are you? Cloud and his companions saved the world four years ago. If you keep talking about him like that, you're bound to get your ass kicked by a crowd of angry Cloud-fans."  
  
Once more, the clueless Luts shrugged carelessly. "Whatever. Anyway, we've been waiting for a long time now and it would be great if-"  
  
"Mr. Garas, you and your...companion...may enter the President's office now." The voice was that of Reeve's secretary.  
  
"Oh...al...alright..." Rani slowly stood and made his way into the office, his face showing a combination of shock and apprehension. "W...well? Are you...coming?" he asked Luts.  
  
As is not any great surprise, Luts shrugged and followed the nervous soldier into the office of the president of Neo-Shinra. It was not quite as tidy and organized as one might expect of the man who is in charge of the operations of a corporation that is more government than business; papers were strewn about the small desk at the far end of the room, a few of which had made their way to the floor. A few scattered chairs sat in various places in the room, and it appeared as if Rani had pulled one of these chairs up to the President's desk and was sitting in it presently. To be honest, Luts could not see what Rani was so nervous about; the man behind the counter was young for his role, being in his early thirties, and wore casual business clothing. His black hair was tied back into a ponytail that reached roughly to the small of his back, and his right hand fidgeted with a slight goatee upon his chin. Following the example of Rani, Luts promptly grabbed a chair, dragged it to the desk, and sat upon it boredly.  
  
"You must be Luts," Reeve said. "I'm president Reeve of Neo-Shinra."  
  
"Yeah, I know." Luts said. "You don't look too intimidating to me; Rani here has been worried since he heard you'd be speaking to us privately."  
  
This comment caused Rani to sit up in his chair indignantly, ever being easily annoyed. "I haven't been worried! Can we get down to business now, please?"   
  
Reeve laughed. "Certainly." He straightened himself within his chair. "So let's not fool around; Luts, you claim that the unidentifiable dome of energy to the south of here is actually a portal to a time in the distant future that probably doesn't exist, according to current researchers who say the Planet will fall apart in a few thousand years. Am I correct?"  
  
"Yeah, that's right...I guess," Luts replied. "But I'm not lying."  
  
"I never said you were," Reeve said. "But anyway, you say that there was another with you when you were supposedly transported through time, correct?"  
  
"Yeah. That would be Clest." Luts paused. "Wait a minute, we weren't the only ones. A helicopter was pulled through right before we were."  
  
"Helicopter?" Reeve asked. "Can you describe it to me?"  
  
Luts shrugged. "Sure. It was mostly silver, with an odd logo on it. I think the logo for Balamb Garden is black and white on a blue background-"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Balamb Gar-...oh, never mind. You wouldn't know; SeeD won't be formed for about fifteen thousand years."  
  
Reeve rubbed his goatee more furiously than ever. "Hmm...we found a helicopter near Icicle Inn a few days ago that matches that description. As far as I know, the inhabitants of the craft are doing fine." He turned his chair around so that he faced the darkness behind him. "That's about it. Cloud, you can come out now."  
  
From out of the darkness stepped a previously unseen individual. He wore a blue sweater and extremely baggy pants, but the most obvious thing about him was his unbelievably wild and spiky hair that seemed to stand on end in every direction at once. At the sight of the man, Rani nearly collapsed, but caught himself before embarrassingly falling out of his chair.  
  
"If you truly are from another time, I suppose I had better introduce this man," Reeve said. "Luts, this is Cloud. He's agreed to enter your 'time portal' and investigate."  
  
Cloud crossed his arms. "No I didn-"  
  
Reeve silenced him with the wave of a hand. "We will discover the truth behind this matter. However, we want you to help us. And you too, Rani," he added, looking toward the speechless soldier.  
  
"All right," Luts agreed. "Anything that'll help me find my friend and get home sounds good to me."  
  
Rani could only mutter in response. "Y...yes sir..."  
  
"Fine then, it's settled," Reeve said. "I'll take care of your rooms for the evening, and you'll set off tomorrow. I'll speak to you three in the morning about exactly what I want you to do. Understand?"  
  
Luts could hardly wait.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Damn him. Damn him straight back to the X-zone."  
  
The man (if he could be called a man) who spoke hovered several inches above a solid ground that was indistinguishable in the realm of eternal black within which he currently existed. Only he could be seen within the void; however, he could be seen as clearly as if he were outside on a cloudless day. Though he was thin, his deathly pale, naked body rippled with muscles, which were being stimulated by the slow movement of his two purple, bat-like wings. His black eyes glowed with a purple color similar to that of his wings and his silver hair flowed in an unseen, unfelt wind as he contemplated his situation.   
  
"Damn Chaos, and damn that Xaer, his willing pawn! We were not meant for this...this darkness!" The man seemed to be quite frustrated with his situation. "Some day, some day I will lead my people out of this hell. We will be as ever we were meant to be: we will rule the world! And..." He paused and coughed. "I will-"  
  
"Watch what you say from now on, lest incriminating ears listen to your empty promises."  
  
The winged individual spun around to face a man clad from head to toe in heavy black armor. "Garland," he said simply. "Stay away from my quarters."  
  
"Your quarters?" Garland said with a booming, wicked laugh. "Everything is the same around here! Do not think you are the only one who longs for something other than this...this endless, black hell! You can believe me when I tell you that this place is little better than the X-zone."  
  
The winged individual sighed. "Does it not bother you that we are but pawns?"  
  
"And noble pawns we are, Aelkam! You and your folk will one day rule the world, which is more than I can say those minions of the Three have ever come close to doing. You should take pride in your status."  
  
Aelkam was silent for a long while. When he spoke, his voice seemed awkward and out of place in the silence that permeated the dark realm. "Why...why did Xaer not kill the boy?"  
  
Garland laughed. "You know the answer to that question. Without the three Vessels, it will be difficult, at best, to retrieve the three crystals that yet elude our grasp." At this, Garland simply disappeared into the darkness. However, his voice lingered for a short while. "And remember, be wary of what you say, whether you speak to yourself or others. The infernal father has eyes and ears that even your folk could never hope to find..."  
  
Aelkam sighed dismally. Of course, Garland was right; Garland was always right. For being the highest authority short of Chaos himself, the dark knight seemed to be extremely sympathetic to the problems of others. However, it was no matter if the infernal god found out about Aelkam's qualms; Chaos knew that none of his subjects would ever dream of escape for fear of the eternal torment that would result. Regardless, the young winged being swore that the time would come when his people could rise up against Chaos. The time would surely come.  
  
The time simply had to come. 


	7. Chapter Six: A Shadow Over Figaro

Chapter Six:  
A Shadow Over Figaro  
  
"It is said that in times past-...no, that isn't it...oh, here it is."  
  
Sabin, who was sitting quite comfortably in a chair with his feet elevated by one of the long wooden tables of the Figaro Castle library, cleared his throat. In his hand was a seemingly ancient book about times even more ancient than the book itself.  
  
"Long ago," Sabin began, reciting a passage from the old book, "Before even the War of the Magi rent the world with its unbridled fury, there existed a magnificent kingdom known in modern times as Eden. Though not a great deal is known about the Eden Empire, it is quite clear that the grandiose realm was practically alive with magic of all sorts; it is now believed that the kingdom itself was ruled solely by mages. However, it is quite clear, through careful research and excavation, that the most prominent magic-users within the Eden hierarchy were the mysterious and feared Time Mages.  
  
"Though a specific location is not given, it is said that the Time Mages owned a castle in which their various experiments were performed. The specifics of these experiments are, to this day, unknown; however, it is guessed by modern scholars of the lost art of magic that many of the experiments were focused on time travel and bending the fragile fabrics of time to an individual's every whim. These experiments were extremely dangerous, of course, and were halted when the War of the Magi broke out on the borders of Eden. It is then said that the esper Odin and his mighty army occupied the castle for use in the war due to its proximity to the front lines of battle."  
  
"And you say we can reach this fabled castle somehow?" Clest questioned skeptically from across the table. How could such an ancient structure have possibly survived the great deal of abuse caused to it by natural forces as time passed?  
  
"Edgar still hasn't told you about the 'secret' of Figaro Castle?" Relm asked. "It's a miracle; we've been in the castle for an entire night and half a day now, and the self-titled king of the industrial age himself hasn't even explained the castle's unique ability to you yet. Generally he would be pretty quick to go off on one of his rants."   
  
Clest shrugged. "So what is it about this castle that'll let us reach a buried castle, anyway?"  
  
"It can burrow," Sabin said flatly, the book hanging from his hand as if he were bored.  
  
As had become common, the chronologically displaced mercenary was thoroughly baffled. "Burrow?"  
  
Sabin shrugged. "Yes, borrow. You know, tunnel through the ground. Not only that, but it can travel deep enough to pass under entire small seas."  
  
"How in hell could a castle do something like that?" Clest asked. "There's no possible way..."  
  
"Ah, but there is. It has something to do with a complicated system of digging mechanisms that use blasts of superheated, high-pressured air to burrow under the ground. Edgar calls it a 'miracle of modern technology.'"  
  
"The king would love the future..." Clest muttered to himself whimsically. "He'd faint when he saw a Garden."  
  
"Garden?" Sabin asked.  
  
"Not the type of garden with plants and flowers and everything," Clest said. "A Garden is basically a school and headquarters for a branch of SeeD, an elite mercenary organization that hasn't had a whole lot to do in the past few years."  
  
Relm shrugged. "Why would Edgar care about that?"  
  
"I'm not finished," Clest said. "The most amazing thing about the two operational Gardens is that they can fly. Hell, it even amazes the people in my own time; you know, the thought of a flying three-story building. We still aren't sure how they fly, but the fact that they can was pretty damn useful during the Ultimecea Crisis."  
  
"Yeah, that would definitely impress my brother," Sabin said. He paused. "Wait a minute. Ultimecea? What is that?"  
  
"I suppose you could say she was one hell of a sorceress. I heard that by the time she was defeated four years ago, she had almost achieved the power of a god."  
  
"We killed Kefka four years ago," said Relm offhandedly. "Isn't it odd that you come from a time when the world was saved four years before also..."  
  
"Wait...you believe my story about time travel?" Clest said, his voice showing slight surprise. He knew more than anyone that his account sounded quite far from a plausible truth, though no part of it was fabricated in any way.  
  
"Look, it doesn't matter whether we believe your story or not," Sabin explained. "Anything that has ANYTHING to do with the pile of garbage that was Kefka's tower needs to be investigated."  
  
Clest sighed. "So what's the big deal with that guy, anyway?"  
  
"You mean Kefka?" Relm asked, mildly surprised at the question.  
  
"Yeah," Clest responded with a shrug. "I mean, what was so important about him besides the fact that he almost destroyed the world?"  
  
A shadow seemed to pass over Sabin's face. "No, he didn't almost destroy the world. He actually succeeded in doing it. You see, he harnessed the power of the dead Espers and the three Goddess Statues, achieving some low form of godhood in the process. Being something of a god, we're not absolutely sure it is possible for us to have killed him four years ago. He may still be alive somewhere, though he lacks physical form."  
  
"At least, he did when we 'killed' him..." Relm mused. "Maybe he found a body."   
  
"Maybe he's not alive," Sabin said. "Who the hell knows? But we can't take chances. If he's out there somewhere, he'll want revenge."  
  
Clest sighed. "I see what you mean. It's never a good thing to have a pissed-off malevolent god running around." He shrugged, lounging in his chair. "So when are we going to the buried castle?"  
  
"Tomorrow, I suppose," Sabin replied. "Unless Edgar has some reason not to go so soon. However, I know he wants to investigate the supposed time rift as much as anyone."  
  
"Then maybe I can go home," Clest said whimsically.  
  
Maybe.  
  
* * * * *  
  
For Edgar, the day had not been as simple as reading through a few old books in the library; after his short absence from the throne, he had much to attend to. Between foreign ambassadors, lengthy reports on the state of the kingdom, and the mostly trivial requests of regional governors, the young king knew he would have no rest from his duties for quite a while. He simply had to remind himself that such was the price a king must pay to rule such a kingdom as Figaro and continue on with his boring royal duties. It would be safe to say that he practically wished for a world to save or an army to fight as he signed his name on countless papers and spoke to an endless number of messengers from far-off places.  
  
Unbeknownst to him, Edgar would get his wish.   
  
It was midday when Edgar was informed of a mysterious visitor to the castle who wished to speak to him. Knowing that such an individual was highly unlikely to have ill intentions after the fall of the world's great evil four years ago, he willingly allowed the man to enter the throne room. However, he wondered if such an action was regrettable when he saw the man, a deathly pale individual with long, silver hair that nearly reached the center of his back. His eyes, twin portals of endless black similar to the color of his robe, seemed to bore into the king as if they could read his every thought. Edgar was forced to turn away from the visitor's eyes for a moment before he addressed the man.  
  
"I welcome you to Figaro Castle, the center of the Figaro Kingdom," he said warily; such was his customary greeting. "I am Edgar, king of Figaro. What business do you have here?"  
  
The robed man laughed darkly, sending a chill down the spine of the king. "Edgar, king of Figaro," he repeated in an ominous, flowing voice. "I have come to discuss the matter of the opening in the great river of time. You seem to have discovered the anomaly, so I will not bore you with details. Do you wish me to go on?"  
  
"I..." For an unknown reason, Edgar seemed to be at a loss for words. "Continue," he said finally.  
  
"My words may be a bit difficult to believe, but I have ways of proving them." The man cleared his throat and continued. "The rift was created by Chaos, my master. If you have never heard of my lord before this day, you can believe me when I say that he has power beyond the wildest reckoning of you humans. I have come for two reasons, the first of which is slightly more important than the second. First, I have come seeking the Crystal of Water, of which this shard originates." As he spoke, the man drew forth a six-inch-long splinter of blue crystal that emitted a dancing, rippling blue glow.  
  
"I've heard of no such object," Edgar said. "If this 'Crystal of Water' existed, I believe I would know of it."  
  
"Yes, I expected as much. I was told that you might not know of its existence. Now, I believe it would be wise if I moved on to the other reason for my coming: the invasion of this castle and the beginning of its service to the all-powerful dark lord Chaos. You can trust me when I say that my army awaits my command at your doorstep."  
  
Edgar was on his feet in an instant, immediately cursing himself for not having a weapon on hand. "Guards!" he cried, hoping that a sentry was within earshot of the throne room.  
  
"Do you honestly believe your pitiful guards possess power enough to restrain me?" asked the robed man with a laugh. From a hidden sheath beneath his robe he drew forth a long, narrow sword and pointed it in the direction of the king. At about that time, a pair of guards stumbled into the throne room and realized the man's intentions. However, they were given no chance to catch him, for he soon disappeared as if he had been but a shadow cast upon a wall by a flickering torch.  
  
Edgar dropped into the throne. "What is going on..." he muttered, half to himself and half to the guards that stood before him.  
  
A single guard stepped forth and dropped to one knee. "My liege, there is a problem. A large number of individuals robed in black has approached the front entrance to the castle. We've sealed the front and side doors, but we aren't sure how long they would be able to keep the robed ones out of the castle in the case of an attack."  
  
Edgar sighed and stood from the throne. He massaged his temples with his hands, contemplating a response to the situation. "Tell Lady Branford and those with my brother in the library to come to the throne room immediately. I must go see this army for myself."  
  
That said, Edgar slowly made his way out of the throne room and onto the walls of the castle. He climbed atop the high section of wall that lined the front face of the massive structure and, shielding his eyes from the scorching rays of the desert sun and the wind-swept barrage of sand that seemed to blow toward the castle, surveyed the open desert to the south. Sure enough, quite a large force of hooded, robed individuals had approached the castle, causing Edgar to wonder why they had not been noticed in their approach by the guards atop the walls. Nevertheless, they were certainly a problem, and Edgar had never dealt with such an invasion before, even in the days of the Empire. Thus, it is no surprise that the young king became a bit frantic at the sight of the army that threatened to overrun his castle in moments.  
  
"Mobilize the army!" Edgar cried above the sounds of hurried soldiers and frantic civilians. "All guards, to the front entrance! I want absolutely no breaches of this castle!" The king began to head in the direction of his throne room, his mind lingering upon the implications of a full-scale invasion. As he worriedly walked through the castle's main hall, his eyes toward the floor, Edgar nearly collided with Albrecht, the chancellor, who stopped the frantic king for a moment.  
  
"All of our guests have made their way to the throne room," Albrecht said. "That is, all but Lady Branford."  
  
"Where is she?" Edgar cried frantically.  
  
"We're not sure; the guard sent to retrieve her has not returned. She can fend for herself; so do not worry over her for the time being. I think it is best that you inform our guests of the situation."   
  
Edgar simply nodded and stalked into the throne room. Before the room's three inhabitants could so much as look up at him, the king informed them of the situation briefly. "The castle is under attack."  
  
"What? By who?" Sabin was on his feet in an instant. His hands reached instinctively to his sides, where his twin claws hung by leather straps. "They won't be around much longer."  
  
"I wouldn't be so eager to fight," Edgar said solemnly. I believe there is more to these mysterious robed invaders than there seems to be."  
  
At the mention of a robe, Clest's eyes widened. "Robed? As in...black robes? All of them?" he said quickly, his hand clenching into a fist.  
  
"Why, yes-"   
  
"Damn those bastards!" Clest proclaimed loudly. Without any further thought, he began to head for the throne room's exit. When questioned by Edgar, he replied simply, "My gunblade is in my room."  
  
"Wait for me!" Relm cried. "I need my weapon too!" At that, the flamboyantly dressed young woman charged after him angrily. "Wait for me, damn it!"  
  
Edgar sighed. "There's no stopping young people with goals to accomplish, it seems."  
  
"Kefka learned that the hard way," Sabin said with a laugh. "So, can I blitz them now?"  
  
"Wait a minute. We need a plan." Edgar thought for a moment, attempting to put the pieces of the mystery behind the identity of the invaders together. "We still aren't sure of their true power, but I've seen one of them disappear from sight as if he was but a wisp of smoke. It looked like...magic."  
  
"That's impossible." Sabin scratched his chin. "Isn't it?"  
  
"I thought so. But perhaps...perhaps they come from a different time period in which magic is functional. If young Clest could leap through time, perhaps these robed people can as well. Besides, Clest seemed to recognize them, but he isn't here to ask." Edgar sighed. "I think we should burrow."  
  
"That wouldn't solve the problem," Sabin replied, ever a fan of beating his enemies into oblivion.  
  
"It would give us time to think," Edgar replied. "We could surface near Kohlingen and form a plan for dealing with the robed ones. However, I need your help down in the engine room."  
  
Sabin shrugged. "I suppose that would work. We should head down there now; who knows how long it'll take us to get this damn place running again."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Damn it..."  
  
Relm's voice trailed off as she surveyed Figaro Castle's east tower from atop the castle walls. The robed invaders had systematically surrounded the tower, effectively cutting it off from the remainder of the castle. Thus, Clest and Relm could not access their weapons by any normal means unless they could fight off the entire group of robed ones who kept the tower inaccessible from the castle, and this option seemed highly unlikely.  
  
Clest was not pleased; gunblades were hardly inexpensive, and were somewhat difficult to obtain outside of a military organization. "I'm going over there if I have to beat them back with my bare hands," he declared, ever searching for an alternate entrance to the tower.  
  
Relm sighed. "Give it up. There's no way we'll get our weapons now."  
  
"Maybe...over there..." Clest muttered as if thinking aloud. He motioned toward the catwalk that connected the tower to the castle's east wall. "We can get to the tower using that, can't we?"  
  
"It wasn't made for walking on," Relm said. "You'd have to jump over the wall to get to it."  
  
Clest shrugged. "Okay." At that, he took off toward the edge of the wall and looked over the battlements. It was not a long drop to the catwalk; ten or twelve feet, Clest guessed. It was certainly no trouble for anyone with SeeD training.  
  
Relm ran over to the reckless mercenary, obviously annoyed by his foolhardy intents. "You can't just jump over the wall of a castle!"  
  
"Watch me," Clest said. He stepped up upon the battlements directly over the catwalk, took a breath, and leapt down to the narrow stone pathway. He landed near the edge of the catwalk, barely avoiding quite a long fall to the sand-covered ground quite a distance below the top of the castle. As it was, he hit the catwalk at an odd angle, causing him to fall painfully to his side. However, he was not deterred; he stood, brushed sand from himself, and motioned for Relm to follow his example.  
  
"You're insane!" Relm screamed, stepping up upon the battlements; she would not be made a fool of by the idiot mercenary from the future.  
  
Clest crossed his arms impatiently. "Hurry up! They're going to notice me if I stand here any longer!"  
  
Thus, Relm sighed, closed her eyes, and leapt from the castle's battlements. Clest, seeing that the girl would land at an awkward position and injure herself if he did not intervene, sped toward Relm's point of landing and deftly caught her, thus preventing her from a fatal impact with the stone catwalk. However, Relm was less than appreciative; she shoved Clest away from herself in embarrassment, causing Clest to laugh. The mercenary was obviously enjoying himself immensely.  
  
"We'd better head over there," Clest said, pointing at the tower. Without so much as a backward glance, he headed off across the precarious catwalk to the tower.  
  
"We should try not to let them notice us-" Relm stammered as she ran after the irritating time-traveler. Her words were cut short by the sound of an explosion behind her. As she increased her running speed, Relm turned back to notice a gaping hole in the castle wall near the area where the catwalk entered the wall through a large, square opening. "I think they've seen us, thanks to you!"  
  
Clest had nearly reached the tower. "Who gives a shit? As long as they don't HIT us, we'll be fine!"  
  
"Has anyone ever told you that you're exceedingly frustrating?" Relm declared. She had begun to close the distance between herself and Clest.  
  
"Constantly," Clest replied with a smirk. However, his expression soon changed as the catwalk directly behind him was blown to pieces. Relm was forced to leap over a sizeable gap to continue on toward the tower. It was at that moment that Clest fully acknowledged the severity of his situation; he ran desperately toward the tower before him and leapt over its battlements as if his very existence depended on reaching the tower in the next three seconds. Relm soon followed Clest's example, and collapsed upon the stone ground as Clest rose to his feet.   
  
Relm muttered a curse in annoyance. "That hurt..." Her voice trailed off, as she noticed Clest staring out over the battlements of the tower, his eyes fixed on whatever scene lay before him. Relm approached the edge of the tower and followed his gaze.  
  
"No...for the love of all that is sacred, no!" Relm could not contain herself, despite the risk of being noticed by those surrounding the tower, for she saw before her the most horrid sight she had ever witnessed. For nearly as far as the eye could see, the shattered, broken bodies of men and chocobos lay strewn about the desert before the grand castle they had given their lives to protect. The bloody mess of corpses was apparently all that remained of Figaro's famed Chocobo Cavalry.   
  
"If so few of them can kill so many soldiers..." Clest trailed off. He could feel anger welling up from within him; this anger was beginning to manifest itself. The young man began to take on a savage, vengeful appearance, as if he were slowly being driven mad by some unidentifiable force within him. "I'll kill you!" He screamed, hoping any of the robed ones was close enough to the tower to hear his cry. "I'll kill you all, do you hear me? Each and every one of you!" Without another word, Clest darted down the flight of stairs that led to the inner rooms of the tower.  
  
Relm was quick to follow the exasperating mercenary. "Wait for me, damn it! I'm coming too!" However, she was not fast enough to keep pace with Clest; the mercenary had his gunblade ready when Relm burst into the guest room that formed the lowest level of the tower. Relm swiftly produced her own weapon, a spiked flail with an ornate handle, and thrust a paintbrush of chocobo tail feathers into her belt.  
  
Clest laughed distractedly at this display. "We won't have time for painting anything. Sorry to disappoint you," he mocked.  
  
In response, Relm simply removed the brush from her belt and used it to form several symbols in the air before her. She then pointed the brush at Clest, chanted several unintelligible syllables, and flourished the brush flamboyantly. Suddenly, there appeared what seemed in all regards to be a perfect likeness of Clest in the air before the young artist. This apparition was dismissed with a quick wave of Relm's hand, but it had the desired effect on Clest, whose eyes were opened wider than ever they had been.  
  
"H...how did you...?" Clest had a bit of difficulty forming a sentence.  
  
Relm smiled. "Simple, really. It has to do with the fact that my bloodline is gifted with the art of creation, one of the three component aspects of magic."  
  
"But I thought there was no magic in this world," Clest managed to stammer.  
  
Relm shrugged. "Some magic is too inherently human to ever go away, I suppose. Look, I'm not a scholar on the subject; let's just get on with this horrible mess of an invasion. We'd better make our way back to the castle in case they decide to burrow."  
  
"Uh, right," Clest muttered. He was a bit preoccupied in thinking up ways to kill the robed ones. "Yeah, we wouldn't want to be left here, I suppose...but how in hell are we supposed to get to the castle from here? We can't go back across the catwalk, and running across that battlefield out there is nothing less than suicide."  
  
Relm crossed her arms. "So NOW you've taken our lives into consideration?"  
  
"I was absolutely sure I could make it across the catwalk," Clest replied innocently.  
  
"What about me?" Relm screeched. She decided it would be best to give up her pursuit of the subject; she and Clest were getting no closer to the castle by arguing. "I'm going to make a run for the castle. If you don't want to follow me, you can stay here for all I care." Without another word, Relm bolted out the front entrance of the tower and ran furiously toward the castle. Of course, Clest would not be gotten the better of; he followed close behind the young artist, running as fast as he possibly could across the spell-blasted desert.  
  
"There! Two of them! Over there!"  
  
Clest could not discern who had spotted him, but the proclamation had been clear. The truth behind the statement was made obvious when several large pillars of flame rose from the ground around the fleeing mercenary, barely missing him but singeing his clothing badly. Clest spotted several of the robed individuals swiftly catching up to him from behind; he flourished his gunblade, but continued to run toward the castle. Much to his dismay, he could no longer see Relm ahead of himself, but this did not cause him to falter. The mercenary was on the verge of engaging his pursuers when several massive sections of the earth below him suddenly burst up from the ground, throwing him forcefully into the desert floor. He attempted to rise, but was knocked unconscious by another minor quake. As his awareness faded from his body, he could barely see the three robed figures standing around him, and could almost make out their words.  
  
"We have the vessel..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Edgar cursed loudly. "I remember this being easier. Toss me that wrench."  
  
Sabin complied quickly. "Easy or not, you'd better get this thing working soon," he said as his brother disappeared under one of the two massive engines in the bowels of Figaro Castle. "I was told that the mounted forces can't take much more of this attack."   
  
"Almost...nearly got it...there..." The king was paying no heed to his brother. His quick maintenance on the engines of the castle was nearing completion. "If I just turn this thing right here...I think..."  
  
"You...don't seem to know what you're doing," Sabin said with a sigh.   
  
Edgar grumbled an unintelligible phrase under his breath. "It's been a while since I've done this! I'm going to train a few technicians to deal with this sort of thing when this fiasco is over."   
  
Sabin shrugged. "If I were fixing the engines, you can count on the fact that they would be worse off when I had finished than they were before."  
  
"I just don't understand how these engines could have gotten in such bad shape in only three years," Edgar said distractedly. The sound of metal tapping against metal could be heard from under the engine.  
  
"I suppose it doesn't make any-"   
  
Sabin stopped mid-sentence, for a large crashing sound filled the underbelly of the castle, and the entire structure shook with an unseen force for a moment.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Edgar asked.  
  
"I'm not sure..." Sabin said. He paused, taking a moment to secure his claws upon his hands. "You stay here and get these engines working as fast as you possibly can. I'm going to go see what happened. Remember, as soon as the engines are working, burrow and head for Kohlingen."  
  
"But what about Terra?" Edgar said. "We don't know where she is."  
  
"No matter what!" Sabin said firmly, and ran off down the engine room and into the main hall of the castle's basement areas. It is within the hall that he discovered the cause of the cause of the castle's shuddering; there stood a single black-robed man, his hood drawn back to reveal a gaunt, pale face and short, raven-colored hair. He seemed to be leaning upon a staff that appeared in all respects to be carved from black marble, giving the impression that he could hardly hold himself up. However, Sabin did not take the man's appearance for granted, and readied himself for battle.  
  
"You are very suspicious," the robed man muttered weakly. "As you should be."  
  
"What is it that you want?" Sabin asked. "How did you find your way down here?"  
  
The robed man smiled and straightened himself, stretching his arms over his head bemusedly. Oddly, his staff retained its upright position when he removed his hands from it. "It was a simple matter of killing the old man at the entrance who I assume was a technician of some sort. Oh, he put up a bit of a fight, but he was soon disposed of."  
  
Sabin clenched his teeth. "Bastard..." he muttered, his voice betraying the raw fury building up within him.  
  
"I have come to kill you and the king," said the intruder simply. "I shall like to begin...now."  
  
Sabin simply nodded. "As you wish!" he cried, charging forth toward the intruder at full speed. His claws rent the air before him, but made contact with only air; the robed man was no longer standing where he had been seconds ago. Sabin spun around and discovered the intruder hovering several inches above the stone floor, his staff in hand.  
  
"I believe it is my turn," said the robed man. He flew forward at Sabin, his form becoming an indistinguishable blur due to his speed, and swung his staff at the martial artist. Sabin barely managed to deflect the attack with his claws, but was quick to retaliate with a swift kick to his opponent's head. His kick missed its mark, however, and a well-placed blow from the robed man's staff sent Sabin sprawling upon the floor. The martial artist was not defeated, however; he pulled himself to his feet and prepared for a second assault.  
  
The intruder simply laughed. "Finally, I am able to fight an opponent who poses a challenge to me! Of course you cannot win, but you can trust me when I say you will last longer than most."  
  
Sabin spat a bit of blood upon the floor. "I've killed opponents twice as tough as you," he snarled, then taking the opportunity to close his eyes and focus all his energy into his hands as he was taught to do by the martial arts master Duncan years before. In a single sharp movement, he pointed his hands forward, with his arms fully outstretched and his palms facing his opponent. A blinding beam of energy flew toward the robed man, appearing as if it would decimate him in an instant. However, the man was too swift even for the well-aimed blitz technique; he caught the beam of energy on his staff, sparing himself from any injury. While Sabin was dazed, the intruder took the opportunity to lift the burly man into the air and toss him into the wall, creating a small indentation in the wall from the force of Sabin's impact. The martial artist attempted to pull himself up from the ground, but could come no farther than a kneeling position. He coughed, causing blood to spatter upon the floor before him.  
  
"Are you finished yet?" asked the robed man. "I do have a schedule to keep, and I would appreciate it if you would hurry up and die."  
  
As injured as he was, Sabin looked up at the robed man fiercely. With a bit of effort he rose to his feet, ever gazing forward at his opponent. His eyes closed, the martial artist clenched his fists and focused on his personal aura of energy. In a short amount of time a soft white glow had begun to surround Sabin, and he suddenly looked forward at his opponent. Unexpectedly, he flew forth in a blur and began to assault the robed man from all sides with a speed that seemed to transcend human physical limits. Dexterous as he was, the robed man could do little to deflect the claw-augmented blows that seemed to fly at him from all sides; when he tried to employ his staff, the object shattered into an uncountable number of pieces and fell to the floor. The intruder found himself being punctured by the vicious claws of the martial artist from all sides at once. Then, as soon as the assault had begun, it came to a close in the form of a massive blow to the robed man's chest that sent him plummeting several feet into the wall behind him. Surprisingly enough, however, he was able to pull himself to his feet and speak.  
  
"Un...unbelievable..." the robed man stammered. Blood had begun to flow freely from his many puncture wounds, but he clenched his teeth and continued. "You have not seen...the last of me..." As soon as he uttered his final words, he collapsed to his knees. It appeared as if he would fall forward, but this was not so; as he began to fall, his body became surrounded by a red glow and disappeared from the room.  
  
Sabin leaned against a wall, each breath causing him pain. "Edgar!" he cried, attempting to see through the haze that clouded his vision. Unbeknownst to him, his brother was standing in the door that led to the engine room, his mouth gaping in amazement. "Have you finished working on the engine?"  
  
Edgar was quick to put an arm around his brother in support. "The engine is finished. Come on, you need to rest."  
  
"I'm...okay. Really..." Sabin coughed, again causing blood to issue from his mouth. "We've got to burrow."  
  
"Right now the most crucial factor on hand is your condition."  
  
"No," Sabin managed to say. His voice was little more than a rasping whisper. "You have never seen how they fight. The castle can't take much more of this. We've got to burrow."  
  
Edgar looked at his brother worryingly. "But-"  
  
"Now." 


	8. Chapter Seven: Through the Rift

Chapter Seven:  
Within the Rift  
  
Luts crossed his arms. "So," he said, "Who's going first?"  
  
Luts, Rani, and Cloud stood before the shifting, glowing, dome-shaped rupture in time in the all-but-abandoned Neo-Shinra camp. Understandably, they were reluctant to simply leap into the dome; the knew that, at best, they would be thrown into another time period, but were not positive as to whether or not time travel would be the extent of the dome's effect. The fact that Luts had been thrown through time fairly safely was not proof enough of the vortex's safety for the trio.  
  
"You're the one who came through that thing in the first place," Cloud said with a shrug.  
  
"So?" Luts said defensively. "What does it matter?"  
  
Rani sighed. "Why don't we all go in at once? That way we'll be ready if anything attacks us on the other side."  
  
Luts simply shrugged. "Sure, why not," he said, and, without further discussion, the trio stepped cautiously into the massive dome of temporal energy.  
  
All at once, the three time-travelers attempted to speak, but found that no sound emitted from their mouths despite their best efforts to make noise. It seemed as if they were flying through a vortex of some sort, surrounded by bright, colorful energy that flew past them on all sides and seemed to wash over them as they traversed the fourth dimension. However, before they had traveled very far in this manner, it seemed as if they were suddenly jerked to the side, as if some unseen force had pulled them out of the time vortex, and were forcefully deposited upon the ground of an unknown locale.   
  
Cloud was the first of the three to rise to his feet. Taking a quick look around, he could not help but notice that he seemed to be within a sort of closed-in wasteland; the ground beneath his feet was barren and red, as if it were clay of some sort, and the entire area was domed over by a massive field of ever-shifting energy. This thoroughly confused the hardened warrior and caused him to wonder how the "time rift" could have been a time rift at all, considering he had entered the supposed tear in the fabric of time and come out on the other side of the dome. However, before he had a great deal of time to ponder the situation, Cloud's eye was caught by the massive, half-built structure before him. It seemed to be a massive construction site of sorts, though the warrior could not determine what was being built. However, he found it quite odd that the entirety of the construction crew that was constructing the gargantuan structure were two-foot-tall, naked, demon-like creatures that never ceased to make chattering noises as if communicating amongst themselves. Cloud's brief search was interrupted by Luts, who seemed to have come to his senses and had his own look around.  
  
"Well..." the mercenary muttered softly, as if to himself, "This certainly isn't home."  
  
Rani had just dragged himself from the ground. After dusting himself off, he crossed his arms impatiently. "So you were lying about traveling through time? You've probably led us into a trap!"  
  
"For the love of Hyne, calm down! Don't be so suspicious. Didn't you feel it?"  
  
"Feel what?" Rani spat angrily.  
  
"It felt like the time travel was interrupted. It was almost as if...as if we were pulled out of the vortex."  
  
Cloud nodded. "Yes, I felt it too," he said simply. "It doesn't matter now; we've got more to worry about than the failed time travel at the moment. Look."  
  
A large number of the demon-things had dropped their work and had approached the trio, seeming to examine them from a distance. Cloud immediately drew his sword, and Luts' hand flew to the hilt of his own. Rani, on the other hand, simply watched the creatures suspiciously, preparing himself to act on a moment's notice. However, the creatures were keeping their distance, and it seemed as if the time-travelers had little to fear for the time being. However, it also seemed as if their precarious situation would turn against them at any time, for a pale-skinned, winged woman clad rather scantily in black leather had made her way to the gathering of demon-things to investigate why the creatures had stopped their working.   
  
Rani immediately stepped forward, proving himself to be an advocate for thinking before acting in battle. "Excuse me," he said slowly; he was still a bit dazed from the time travel experience. "Do you-"  
  
Lazily, the woman raised her finger and pointed at the Neo-Shinra soldier. With a quick wave of her hand, Rani was tossed back several feet, landing painfully upon his back. Luckily, his armor partially broke his fall. The winged woman seemed to barely acknowledge what she had done before speaking. "What brings humans to our future base of operations?"  
  
"We thought we'd end up in some other time period," Rani said. "We don't even know where we are."  
  
The woman smiled evilly. "Unfortunately for you, you've managed to discover the future abode of the dark god Chaos. The time travel was a cover-up, you see; we had to send intruders somewhere while the dome was completing itself. Now that we've successfully removed this section of the Planet from the normal flow of time, we have begun construction on our lord's grand palace."  
  
The trio simply stood perfectly still, their mouths agape. Of course, none of them had ever heard of an entity named Chaos who had the power to rip time and bend its delicate fabrics to his will, and none had ever expected time travel to be conceivable. Cloud, however, was far more able to cope with the situation, having faced a foe four years before who had come dangerously close to attaining godhood, and was not content to remain silent while the demon-woman revealed her god's plans to him.  
  
"So how do we get out of here?" asked Cloud. His tone of voice betrayed the fact that he did not perceive himself to be in any great deal of danger.   
  
The winged woman simply laughed at the sword-wielding warrior's inquiry. She placed a delicate hand upon her chin in thought, and her eyes quickly scanned the puzzled figure of Cloud that stood before her. "So which time period are you from? Perhaps the Era of Fire? No, not judging by that weapon of yours..." She was silent for a moment. "Ah! You must hail from the Era of Earth."  
  
"Era of Earth?" Rani asked. Apparently, he had gotten over the initial shock of discovering his present location.  
  
"Yes, of course," the woman said, speaking to Rani as if she were explaining a seemingly obvious fact to a small child. "The period of time in which the Crystal of Earth can be easily obtained. If you are as simple-minded as you seem, Chaos will be most displeased."  
  
"We don't really care about Chaos or any of his plans!" Luts said angrily. "We need to travel to my time period, and we need to do it now."  
  
The woman shook her head. "You...do not care about the plans of Chaos? Would you care if I told you that his plans include the domination of the three time periods to which this temporally immune sphere connects?"   
  
By this time, the trio of time travelers had their weapons ready. It had become somewhat apparent that the woman and her impish minions could not be trusted in the least. However, the group was reluctant to jump to conclusions; Cloud attempted, for the last time, to extract a bit of intelligible information from the odd winged woman. "Explain to us how to get out of here and we'll be on our way," said the golden-haired hero. "To tell you the truth, we don't give a shit about Chaos at the moment, and need a little time to plot your demise or whatever you expect us to do." It seemed as if Cloud would stop, but he found that he had more to say than he had realized. "And trust me, if you think you can just waltz into our world and bring about the downfall of civilization as we know it, you've got another thing coming."  
  
At this display of resistance, the woman simply laughed. "Back to work with you all!" she screeched at the demon-things that had formed a circle around her and the three time travelers. Angrily, the creatures stalked back toward the massive structure that had begun to take shape in the center of the gray wasteland under the dome of energy, leaving only the woman to face the time travelers. "You humans believe yourselves to be a match for me or any of my kind? You must all wish to die before your time. Now, away with you! There is much work to be done." Before any of the travelers could respond to her words, the woman waved her hand in the air as if brushing away an insect. This simple action caused the time travelers to fly back through the inner wall of the dome behind them, sending them plummeting through the river of time yet again. However, considering their forceful entry into the portal, they found it difficult to keep their balance, and slowly fell away into a black, semi-conscious state.  
  
Within the temporally invulnerable sphere, the winged woman smiled as if she could see the hapless trio flailing in the unceasing stream of time as they struggled to remain conscious. However, she did not peer into the wall of the dome for long; there were legions of slaves to be commanded. Thus, without a backward glance, the woman spun around and hovered back toward her post, hoping that Chaos would not be overly angry that she had left it to deal with mere humans in the first place.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Xu was bored. As a result of this, Quistis was thoroughly annoyed.  
  
"No, I don't want to play Triple Triad!" the blond SeeD instructor snapped. She had lost count of how many times Xu had asked her to play a round.  
  
"Well, what else is there to do?" Xu asked. "I mean, I don't know how long we've been sitting in this god-forsaken inn under close watch by those ridiculous guards." She paused long enough to think to herself for a moment, then made her opinion known to her fellow SeeD. "They don't realize that we could kick all their asses in an instant."  
  
Quistis shrugged. "So they don't have enough people guarding us. It's not like we have anywhere to go; as far as we know, that beam of light sent us back in time about fifteen thousand years."  
  
"But that doesn't make sense."  
  
"I know that!" Quistis had become a bit exasperated with her vocal companion. "Sorry...it's hard to stay calm in a situation like this. I suppose that's what we're trained for, but I don't remember ever taking a class that covered time travel back at the Garden."  
  
"Come on, Quistis. We don't even know if we traveled through time at all. For all we know, we might be somewhere near Trabia Garden, considering the fact that it never stops snowing here."  
  
"You're probably right," Quistis said with a sigh. "Still...that calendar I saw in the lobby of this place said it was the year 2005 AC. I'd like to know how that's possible."  
  
"Maybe it's some sort of Shumi way of keeping track of the years. If we're close to Trabia, that would make sense."  
  
"Still..." Quistis mused, "I've never heard of there being a village on this continent aside from the Shumi village to the north of Trabia Garden."  
  
"Neither have I, but what other logical explanation is there for our location?"  
  
Quistis sighed. "Logical explanation? There isn't one, and that's what pisses me off. Nothing makes sense right now."  
  
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door of the inn room in which the two elite SeeD operatives resided. "Excuse me," said a voice from the other side.  
  
"Come in," Xu said cautiously. She turned to Quistis, who simply shrugged, giving the impression that she did not judge the situation to be dangerous in any way.  
  
The bearer of the mysterious voice was quick to open the door. He looked to be an elite soldier, being dressed in red body armor as opposed to the standard blue armor of an average Neo-Shinra soldier. "I apologize for the interruption, ladies, but a pressing matter has come up that may require the use of your knowledge of the future."  
  
"The future?" said Quistis and Xu simultaneously.  
  
"Yes," the soldier replied. "We have reason to believe that you have come from the future due to the explanation given to us by a certain young man by the name of Luts Vanguarde, who was apparently pulled into the time vortex soon after you."  
  
"He must have been one of those two idiots near the ruins," Xu muttered to herself. However, without so much as acknowledging her, the soldier continued.  
  
"The aforementioned young man has headed back into the vortex along with two others," the soldier explained. "However, a small group of odd individuals clad in black robes exited the vortex not long after the entry of the group commissioned by President Reeve. These individuals were quick to demand the unconditional surrender of the town of Junon, and stated that if Neo-Shinra did not comply with their demands, many others like themselves would seize the city by force. President Reeve wishes to speak to you about these individuals, and would be most appreciative if you would accompany us to Junon."  
  
"There's nothing better to do," Quistis said with a shrug. "Besides, if these black-robed people came through the 'time vortex' or whatever you call it, they might be from our time period."  
  
"Exactly," the soldier responded. "Will you come to Junon?"  
  
"Sure," Xu replied. "What do we have to lose?"  
  
Unfortunately for Xu, it would not be long until her question could properly be answered.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So," Luts concluded, "The winged woman threw us back into the time vortex, and the next thing we remember is waking up on your ship." He looked at the man before him, a slender, fair-haired man clad in a white body suit, and sighed. It was obvious that the White SeeDs, the roving division of SeeD that had retrieved the three unconscious time-travelers from the Centra badlands, did not believe their story in the least.  
  
The White SeeD operative was silent for a moment. "We've been investigating the energy phenomenon that has sprung up around the Centra ruins," he explained, "But we have no reason to believe that it serves as a gateway into the fortress of an evil god or a portal through time."  
  
"I know it's a bit difficult to believe," Cloud said, "But I assure you that it's true. I was born approximately sixteen thousand and twenty-five years ago, and killed a threat to the very world on which we live twenty-one years after that. I was skeptical at first that Luts here had traveled through time, as it defies every law of physics known to man in my own time, but, after traveling to the future and having an encounter with a band of little impish demon-things and their master along the way, I have no more doubts about time travel."  
  
Luts contemplated the situation for a moment. It was obvious that the White SeeD simply would not believe them without any sort of physical evidence. Therefore, the other pair of individuals who had traveled through time with he and Clest immediately came to Luts' mind. "Clest and I aren't the only people who were pulled into the vortex. Before it dragged us through time, it pulled in a SeeD helicopter. I think it was from Balamb Garden."  
  
At the mention of the missing helicopter, the White SeeD's eyes widened. Before he spoke, it seemed as if he was having a bit of difficulty in forming an intelligible sentence. "But...two SeeDs from Balamb Garden were recently reported missing after flying here to investigate the energy phenomenon. No one has been able to locate them." He paused. "In fact, Senior Instructor Quistis Trepe and Xu, the famed CC group's 'Queen,' are rumored to be the two missing SeeDs."  
  
"Holy shit..." Luts muttered to himself. He glared at the skeptical White SeeD in exasperation. "Do you believe me now? Two international heroes, one of whom helped to defeat Ultimecea, are missing, and the only three people who can explain why are failing to get their point across to a White SeeD. In the name of all things sacred, we should be talking to Cid! I keep failing to remember that our world is about to be invaded by an army of superhuman demon-people."  
  
The White SeeD had stood from his chair; it was apparent that he could not afford to assume Luts' account to be false if a large-scale invasion force was on the verge of pouring from the dome of energy in the center of the Centra Continent. "Please, calm down," he said, though he himself had become a bit frantic. "I will contact Headmaster Cid of Balamb Garden as soon as possible. If you will wait here, I will return with a time of departure for you all."  
  
"Departure?" Rani asked.  
  
"Yes, departure for Balamb Garden. We must see what Headmaster Cid has to say about this."  
  
Luts sighed. "In the meantime, there's nothing to do but wait."  
  
"Wait for what?" Rani asked. "That supposed invasion force we've been worried about? It'll be too late then."  
  
"Without the help of SeeD, there's nothing we can do. It's a little difficult to fight a war without an army."  
  
"So I suppose we're stuck here for the time being," Cloud said distractedly.  
  
"Unfortunately," Luts added.  
  
Rani shrugged. "At least we'll be able to see the evil god's army when it comes out of the dome. Hell, we don't even know if that flying woman was telling the truth."  
  
"Considering the fact that we saw a flying woman to begin with, I don't think we can take chances," Cloud said. "I'm beginning to believe that the fact that there is now a massive rift in time is truly all a part of some powerful being's plans, and if those plans involve world domination, it would be in the best interests of everybody for us to tell someone in a position of power what we've seen. At least we have a couple of missing persons to vouch for what we're saying, as ironic as it sounds."  
  
After a period of silence, Luts pounded a fist against the arm of his chair. "I'll be damned if some dark god is going to take over this world."  
  
Cloud stood. "As will I."  
  
"And I," Rani said, nodding in agreement. "It might not be our world anymore, but it's the Planet nonetheless, and I'm not going to allow my distant descendants to be cut down by an army of demons."  
  
Slowly, Luts smiled. "Thank you." 


	9. Chapter Eight: Grand Designs

Chapter Eight:  
Grand Designs  
  
As Clest peered through the haze of unconsciousness, he could not help but wonder if Chaos and his minions had a particular reason for not making contact in person. However, the young mercenary could feel that the dream in which he floated was different that any other, and kept his thoughts to himself.  
  
"Clest..."  
  
The thoroughly annoyed Clest could not help but find that disembodied voices had become a bit cliché since his time-spanning expedition began. Regardless, he listened intently as if being mentally willed to do so by the bearer of the voice.  
  
"Clest...you are my vessel..."  
  
"Chaos?" Clest muttered.   
  
"No, fool. Chaos is far more imposing than I; his voice would break your fragile human spirit. I am he who will fill you, he who will make you complete."  
  
Clest was not amused. "Sorry, I'm not gay," he said sarcastically. "Can I wake up now? I'm in the middle of a battlefield."  
  
"Silence!" yelled the voice. "Do you honestly believe that I would allow you to be left upon a field of batle? No, you are in the possession of the young magically-gifted woman at the moment."  
  
"Did you do something to Relm?" Clest asked urgently. He would never forgive himself if he had allowed anything to happen to her.  
  
"No. You are quite safe, in fact, and will remain that way until our agent within the castle makes his presence known. He has come for you, and he will bring you to me. I expect no resistance."  
  
"You said you would...complete me," Clest said whimsically.  
  
"Yes...you see, you are but a tool of Chaos, specifically bred for the moment in which your body and my soul become one. It is our dark lord who caused you to be the way you are, as his grand designs led to your birth."  
  
"I'm the vessel and you're the contents."  
  
"Good! You finally understand. Of course, it will be my mind that becomes dominant when our union occurs. Though you will still exist, your conscious mind will be pushed aside as I gain control of your body. Only then will we be able to find the Fire Crystal."  
  
"No!" Clest cried, but it seemed as if the disembodied voice could not hear his exclamation. As was customary, the darkness seemed to close in on all sides of him...  
  
* * * * *  
  
Terra approached the door of Figaro Castle's throne room cautiously as Relm laid Clest's inert form gently upon the elaborate red carpet of the castle's main hall. "He should be fine," Terra instructed, promptly kicking the doors of the throne room open with enough force to crush any unfortunate being who happened to be close behind them.  
  
Fortunately for the "unfortunate being," the tall, robed figure sat safely in the throne of the king of Figaro. He was, however, quite surprised that the woman had been able to find him. "None saw me enter," he said cautiously.  
  
Terra found that she could not explain herself. "I...I don't know how I found you," she said, "But it matters little now. If you're here for the Water Crystal, we don't have it."  
  
The robed man laughed darkly as he stood from the throne. "You do not understand, woman. I am not here for the Water Crystal; in fact, none of us are. Our attack on the castle was merely a diversion. I am here for the vessel."  
  
"The what?"  
  
"The boy!" exclaimed the robed one. "The boy from the future!"  
  
Terra shook her head slowly. As she had known without a doubt that an intruder had infiltrated the throne room, so was she convinced that Clest must be protected. "I...cannot let you have him."  
  
The robed one simply nodded. "Very well then. You will die."  
  
Terra wasted no time in drawing forth her long-time weapon of choice, the mysterious Atma Weapon. To the intruder, the weapon appeared to be a simple dagger with a narrow blade and a large hilt; however, when Terra brandished the weapon with all intents to destroy her opponent, a long, blue blade of energy sprung forth to encase the dagger blade, thus lengthening the weapon by nearly four feet. At the sight of the weapon, the intruder's eyes widened, for he could then identify it.  
  
"How did you...but...the Atma Weapon?" the robed one stammered. "How did it fall into mortal hands? Impossible! I shall reclaim it!" Without further discussion, the intruder discarded his robes, revealing a well-built, winged figure clad in black leather armor and wielding a long katana. "I, Aelkam, shall claim the Atma Weapon in the name of Chaos!"  
  
Terra was hardly amused at this display, and was prepared when Aelkam launched his first strike. However, she was completely unprepared for the second and third strikes, which followed the first by mere fractions of a second. Stumbling back in surprise and grasping her slashed left side, the Atma-wielding woman began to chant the incantation of a minor cure spell out of habit, only to be reminded that magic had fled the world alongside the espers. She recoiled as Aelkam struck once more, barely able to fend off the attack before falling backward.  
  
"You have but sampled the power of Murasame," Aelkam taunted wickedly, holding his sword aloft. "Would you like a demonstration of its full power, or have you had enough?"  
  
Terra did not answer. Rather, she charged forth despite her wounds, swinging the Atma Weapon in a wide arc at her opponent's head. Though undeniably fierce, the attack was easily deflected by the blade of the Murasame, which promptly plunged into the hapless woman's chest, shattering any resistance it met while fully impaling her. Aelkam dropped the near-lifeless body upon the ruined red carpet of the throne room and stepped back purposefully. Without any delay, the minion of Chaos extended his hands and muttered several syllables, causing a massive blast of fire to engulf the body of his enemy. Satisfied, he crossed his arms and awaited the clearing of the smoke caused by the blast.  
  
What Aelkam saw as the smoke dissipated did not please him.  
  
Amazingly, where Terra's broken body had once lain, there stood a twenty-foot-tall, gray-skinned, muscular figure clad in little more than a long, ragged cloth about his waist. His eyes glowed fiercely, and his blue hair hung down to the small of his back as if it were a chaotic flame sprouting from his head. However, perhaps the most miraculous aspect of the scene was the fact that the man held Terra's fully healed and unscathed body in his arms, the gentleness of the scene contradicting the overall appearance of the newcomer.  
  
Aelkam's eyes narrowed. "Maduin," he said simply. "I had hoped the Lifestream had devoured you and your kin."  
  
"You know we are beyond such things," answered the Esper in a booming, commanding voice. "No longer are we bound to objects; magicite and materia means little to us now. For you see, winged one, now we are guardians, and not even your kind could hope to harm those who we choose to guard."  
  
"You are far outnumbered. Besides, we have Chaos on our side." Aelkam crossed his arms as if he had become annoyed with the conversation. In all actuality, he was listening quite intently to the Esper.  
  
"You have Chaos, you say? Would it not be more true to state that Chaos has you?"  
  
Aelkam clenched his teeth, for he could not argue the point that Maduin had mentioned. Such matters filled his mind every waking hour of every day, for he knew the time for the downfall of Chaos would come. However, before he could respond, Maduin had disappeared, and in his place stood a fully rejuvenated Terra.  
  
"F...father...?" stammered the half-esper. "My magic..."  
  
"It cannot help you!" Aelkam cried. He charged forth in a blind fury, his anger further ignited by the thought of his servitude under Chaos. Before the winged being even reached his target, however, Terra had closed her eyes and focused upon the long-buried half of herself that she had been forced to come to terms with years before. In doing so, her esper heritage was unleashed; rather than a mere woman, Terra had become a being of glowing pink energy. At this sudden increase in the power of its user, the Atma Weapon's blade bloomed forth another several inches and began to glow a fierce white.  
  
"Let us end this!" Terra cried, her very voice suffused with power. She flew forward to meet Aelkam head-on and brought the Atma Weapon up as she came into contact with the intruder, thus causing Aelkam's weapon to fly from his hands as he parried. In less than a second, the hapless winged man found himself impaled upon a blade of energy. Soon after, Terra's body became mortal once again, and she dropped to the floor in exhaustion.  
  
"Half-Esper...it seems..."  
  
Terra's head shot up in surprise, her eyes confirming the voice to belong to Aelkam.  
  
"You are not the only one with power," he said, clutching the hole in his chest. "There are others like you. But hear my words: my people will become stronger! You shall fall under our reign of darkness! But for now...your sights had best turn toward the town you call Thamasa...it will be our next target. Do me a favor and kill the one in charge of devastating the village." Without another word, the winged man and his weapon faded into a dark nothingness.   
  
Terra could do little other than shake her head in confusion and mutter helplessly. "Relm..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Oh, for the love of all things sacred. This is the most complicated situation I've seen in many a long generation. Complicated, and a bit ridiculous."  
  
The setting was simple: a polished, round wooden table surrounded by chairs set in the center of a small wooden room. However, the occupants of said setting were not quite as simple. they appeared in all regards to be the complete opposites of the race of winged beings in the service of Chaos; their wings were feathered and angelic, their skin was pale, and they wore elaborate white robes. Each was male, clean shaven, and appeared to be middle-aged; the only difference in appearance between the man who spoke and the two who listened was the blue sash draped about the speaker's body.  
  
One of the listeners leaned back in his chair. "You must admit, it is tales like this that make the job of world monitor worthwhile, even if we do get ordered around by the Goddesses a bit too often."  
  
The first speaker, however, seemed not to register what his subordinate had said. "Consider this: a couple of boys are rocketed through time, one of which just so happens to be critical in the plans of the dark god who caused the time rift. After that, the tale of young Clest plummets into a spiral of confusion; Chaos invades a couple of time periods, our evil counterparts come into play, several groups of people who have yet to have any significance in the outcome of the situation have appeared...this legend in the making is madness."  
  
"Maybe so," said the third man, who had been silent thus far, "But important events are unfolding as we speak. You must be silent and listen to the Planet and its time-spanning tale, lest you miss anything crucial to our cause."  
  
The apparent leader nodded. "Back to work." 


	10. Chapter Nine: Beginnings

Chapter Nine:  
Beginnings  
  
Quistis and Xu surveyed the fields south of Junon from the safe vantage point of a Neo-Shinra helicopter. Despite each of their intensive SeeD training on hostile factions of their past and present, they could not identify the army of robed figures that marched onward toward the port city, nor could they begin to guess at said army's true intentions, aside from the known fact that they sought to conquer Junon by force.   
  
Quistis shrugged. "I don't know who or what they are," she said confusedly. "If they came through the time vortex, they're not from our time."  
  
Xu nodded in agreement. "I've never heard of anything like them."  
  
The Shinra captain who had retrieved the two SeeDs from their temporary residence in Icicle Inn looked down upon the marching army solemnly. "President Reeve has refused to give in to their demands, of course. It seems odd that they carry no visible weapons, yet they appear to be heading toward the city with the intent of capturing it for themselves or whatever cause they may be fighting for."  
  
Ever the strategist, Xu could not keep her mouth shut about the matter. "You should surround them with armed troops, then take a few prisoners to make an example for the rest of them. I don't think an "army" of unarmed fanatics will pose much of a threat to whatever men you have stationed at-...shit!"  
  
Before Xu could conclude her strategic analysis of the situation, one of the so-called "unarmed fanatics" had materialized in front of the hovering helicopter, which was especially disturbing considering the fact that the craft was hovering no less than a thousand feet above the ground. The pilot of the helicopter attempted to evade the flying man, but found that his controls were not responding; it was as if the only think keeping the craft afloat was the will of the robed figure that hovered before it.  
  
"You underestimate our power," said the floating man solemnly. "Thus, I am afraid that I must make an example of you to those watching from your human city. I suggest you say farewell to life."  
  
The inhabitants of the helicopter panicked, but nothing could be done. The robed man extended his hands and closed his eyes, causing a great ball of fire to engulf the helicopter, followed by an utter darkness.  
  
Such utter darkness surprised the aircraft's inhabitants, for they had survived long enough to see it.  
  
The helicopter had been completely incinerated in the flames of the robed man's spell. However, when the darkness cleared, the craft's inhabitants found that they had escaped harm and sat safely...within the hands of a massive platinum dragon.  
  
"Damn it!" The robed man cursed. "Broken free of the stream, I see; your form is no longer as limited as your Materia had made it. The orb must have broken."  
  
The Neo-Shinra captain seemed to be in an utter state of awe. "Ba...ba...the legendary Platinum Dragon...here!?"  
  
Quistis was equally surprised, for, of the Guardian Forces she had junctioned before leaving the future, Bahamut had not been one of them. She was sure that her summoning abilities would be limited in any case, as she was no longer within the same time period as her GFs. As if he could read her mind, Bahamut replied to Quistis' mental questioning.  
  
"We Espers are timeless," said the dragon, his voice deep and commanding. "No longer are we bound by material objects. To you Quistis Trepe, this is no surprise, for we have always been as liberated in your time as we have just become in two others. Fear not, for your summoning will serve you here, as well, though it may not have done so mere days before. We take more interest in the affairs of humans than most people realize, and we do not appreciate the utter lack of respect for your race as shown by the Infernals, the fallen angels. Reveal yourself, o fallen one!"  
  
As if he had no choice in the matter, the robed man's clothes seemed to partially burn away in an instant, revealing a pale and truly demonic figure with purple wings that served to keep the gaunt body afloat. The Infernal was clad in nothing more than the ragged remains of his black robe.  
  
"Quistis, look!" Xu cried, pointing to the army below. They had suffered a similar fate as their flying comrade, being revealed in their true forms.  
  
"You now see the minions of he who threatens your world!" Bahamut cried as if speaking to each and every citizen of the city of Junon below, convincing Quistis, Xu, and the Shinra soldiers that the city could, in fact, hear the eternal dragon's words. "Take heed of this, and deal with them as you dealt with the One-winged Angel four years ago! Do not allow them to take your cities, keep them from your towns, and divert them from your villages! Know this: the Espers, eternal denizens of the aeons, have sided with the humans, and the battle shall not easily sway in Chaos' favor!"  
  
With these words, the battle for Junon began.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Luts cursed savagely at his foolishness. He had allowed a sizeable group of the robed ones to follow Cloud, Rani, and himself to the White SeeD ship. Then again, he had not had a great deal of choice in the matter, as he had been unconscious. All that was left to do was being done; the three time-travellers and the entire crew of the White SeeD ship faced the robed individuals on one of the many desolate, rocky shores of the Centra Continent. Overhead, a Balamb Garden helicopter flew randomly about, its crew ever prepared to employ its standard-issue rail gun if battle began. Such was the craft that had come to ferry Luts, Rani, and Cloud to Balamb Garden to meed with Headmaster Cid.  
  
It was too late for that, Luts thought. Too late.  
  
"This is your last chance," a robed woman said in a harsh voice. "Surrender or die for a lost cause."  
  
"Humanity is NOT a lost cause," answered Cloud. "I've seen the supposed 'lost cause' band together and end more powerful threats than you. Don't expect us to give up without at least taking you bastards down with us." Luts and Rani simply nodded grimly, for they knew what they had to do.  
  
"Very well then, humans," replied the woman with a sneer. "You will die!"  
  
Before the battle could begin, however, the sky suddenly became overcast without warning, and the sound of loud, pounding hoofbeats could be heard behind the White SeeDs. Spinning around, Luts found himself standing directly below the head of a massive six-legged horse, atop which sat a man clad in extravagant armor and wielding a decorative sword that glowed fiercely blue. "I think not," said the man loudly.  
  
"Odin?" Cloud muttered quietly. Quiet as he was, the horseman seemed to have heard him.  
  
"Yes, Cloud Strife! It is I, Odin, the Warrior of Eternity! As eager as I am to wage war with these infidels, there is something I must first reveal to you." Without so much as a word, the warrior swung his sword through the air and stopped it as the tip pointed toward the robed ones. Suddenly, their robes were nearly torn from their bodies, revealing their true nature: like their counterparts in the past, they were demonic Infernals. "All you humans need to know is that these fallen angels are your enemies," Odin bellowed, "And that we Espers or Guardian Forces or whatever you choose to call us have chosen to join you humans in your fight against them and their masters. Thus, let us fight!"  
  
The time-travellers and SeeDs simply nodded, and the war for the well-being of the future began on the shores of the Centra Continent.  
  
* * * * *  
  
In Figaro Castle's throne room, a much-needed meeting was taking place. Terra sat exhaustedly upon the throne; Edgar paced uncerimoniously; Sabin lay upon a stretcher and was tended by several nurses; Relm had taken a seat upon the floor beside Clest; and Clest, the Vessel of Chaos, he who was part of the threefold key for the dark god's victory, lay upon the floor grogilly and attempted to remember how he had ended up in his current location.  
  
"Apparently they need you, Clest," Terra began, breaking the silence that had permeated the room.  
  
Clest grunted as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Pardon my abruptness at the moment, but...no shit. They've been talking to me in dreams since I came here."  
  
That said, Terra proceeded to explain her battle with Aelkam and what little she could remember of the appearance of Maduin. "Now...it almost feels as if he is inside of me. I can use my magic again, and I was able to unleash my esper half in my fight with the winged man." She seemed to have finished speaking, but quickly spoke again, as if remembering something important. "Oh! Thamasa!"  
  
"What about it?" Relm asked tiredly.  
  
"The winged man, Aelkam...he said it was his army's next target!"  
  
"No!" Relm cried. "I'm going back to Thamasa! There's no time to stop at the buried castle."  
  
"You do realize," Edgar said, "That the Figarian army is in disarray, and that I cannot send any troops to back you up, correct?"  
  
Relm simply nodded.  
  
"And you understand that none of us here can be spared to go to Thamasa with y-"  
  
"I'll go," Clest said.  
  
"That is probably what they want," Terra commented. "They're probably expecting you to go. It would be equivalent to walking into their waiting arms."  
  
Clest shrugged. "I don't care. I want revenge for what they've done to us, and...well, from what I've seen, I can imagine that Relm here won't be able to be of much use to Thamasa or whatever its called by herself. No one would," he added quickly after a sharp glance from Relm regarding his statement of her incompetance.  
  
"Let him," Sabin said gruffly, his pain made obvious through the tone of his voice. "Nothing we can do...to stop him...anyway. Besides, he can fight. Relm might...need him."  
  
Edgar nodded slowly. "I suppose we cannot stop you if you truly wish to go. That is, unless Relm has some objection."  
  
"No objections," answered the magically-gifted young woman. Secretly, she was more pleased with the turn of events than she cared to admit. "I'd appreciate the help. Clest...thank you."  
  
Clest smiled. He could have sworn that it was the first time he had heard Relm acknowledge him by his first name. "You shouldn't thank me. I'm doing it for me more than I am for you or your town." Clest partially lied, for he was more interested in the well-being of anyone being oppressed by Chaos' minions than he would admit to even himself. Perhaps he blamed himself for the sudden attacks by the robed invaders.  
  
"Very well," Edgar said. "Setzer and the Falcon are in the Kohlingen area, so it should not be any trouble at all to arrange a quick ride to Thamasa. Sabin, Terra, and I will remain here and search the subterrainian castle for information. Agreed?"  
  
All within the room nodded. The battle for the past had begun. 


	11. Chapter Ten: Shadows Revealed

Chapter Ten:  
Shadows Revealed  
  
Clest sighed in boredom. He had been reclining against a particular tree in Thamasa's town square for well over half an hour, having separated from Relm due to the fact that the young artist claimed to have personal business to attend to. After finding the small town to be quite a dull place, the mercenary had decided to await his companion's arrival at the designated meeting spot near the center of town. He was beginning to doubt that such a course of actions had provided any more entertainment than simply wandering aimlessly.   
  
"Damn it," Clest said quietly. He could no longer bear the boredom, and removed his gunblade from its holster. Despite the attraction of many curious eyes, he began to perform a training exercise that involved swinging the weapon in great, flourishing arcs.  
  
Training. It had always been the single thing that could calm Clest's nerves, but it always caused his mind to wander. And, to be sure, it most certainly wandered; he thought about Luts, the time portal, the robed invaders, his dreams, the past, Figaro, Relm, his very existence-  
  
Clest froze, his arms falling limply to his sides. Did he truly have any purpose in life aside from being posessed by a minion of Chaos? If not, he would gladly end his meaningless life for the good of all.  
  
"No!" Clest cried. He would not allow himself to be overcome by his emotions. Emotions make one weak, yet emotions make one human. Therefore...  
  
"Humans are weak," said the mercenary dryly. Looking around himself, he found that the tree against which he had sat had grown and distorted, now looking as if it were a work of ancient art. All around him was nothing but an endless field, and above him the sky was lit only by a massive, magnified moon that cast light equivalent to the twilight sun across the plains and night-blue sky.  
  
"Humans are weak," repeated a voice from behind Clest. The mercenary spun around and found himself facing a blond, middle-aged man clad in a green cloak who leaned against the surreal tree. "I once believed so, as well," he said, his voice carrying a tone of sadness. "Are you not surprised by your surroundings, Clest?"  
  
Clest simply shook his head. "Nothing surprises me anymore. What are you?"  
  
"I was once a man," he replied, "But I succeeded in killing my emotions to a point that was beyond humanity. Thus, I am what you see, and also what you do not." Upon seeing that Clest did not understand, the man continued. "I am now an eternal mercenary. My ourpose in this twisted existence is to aid the highest bidder for my services unquestioningly, but it seems that I have a new mission now. The Goddesses have taken interest in you, boy."  
  
"The...what?" Clest asked. He was not a religious individual, and knew nothing of such things aside from the legend of Hyne, an old wive's tale of the future.  
  
"The Goddesses. Before I explain them to you, however, I should speak of myself, but you must tell no one of me!"  
  
"I understand," Clest muttered weakly.  
  
"My human name was Clyde Arrowny, and such is the form you see before you. I was a thief, you see, and I suppose that you could call my partner and I the greatest thieves to have ever walked the face of the Planet. However, there came a time when our luck ran out, and my comrade was mortally wounded. He...asked me to kill him out of mercy, for those who pursued us would surely imprison him for his crimes. I could not do as he wished, and left him where he lay. It is thus that I became a wanderer.  
  
"In those days, I never stayed in one place for any great length of time. However, I made many friends throughout the world, including a particular woman who became very dear to me over time. Due to my devotion to her, I eventually settled in this town and attempted to begin a new life as a husband and...a father."  
  
The immortal mercenary paused as if he were too saddened to go on. However, he quickly composed himself, as his mission was one of great importance.  
  
"I could not keep away from the life of a mercenary...the constant torment of what I had failed to do due to my emotions still haunted me. I left this town nearly ten years ago, forsaking my wife and daughter for the road upon which I was doomed to travel for eternity. It is then that I shed my emotions. I called myself...Shadow."  
  
Suddenly, the air beside Clest began to shimmer. The odd man shook his head solemnly as a voice could be heard through the portal: it began as a few muffled words, then intensified into a recognizable voice.  
  
"Relm," said the man softly. "This complicates things."  
  
"...Clest! Come he-...oh..." Relm was stricken silent at the scenery. "Clest?" she questioned nervously. "Where are we?"  
  
Clest shrugged and gestured toward the man who called himself Clyde. "Ask him."  
  
Relm nearly stumbled backward as she examined the mysterious Clyde. Her face had become flushed, then suddenly pale, as if she had witnessed a time-altering event. As she stared at the man, tears began to well up from within her, and she made no attempt to suppress them. "You're...you...," she babbled, "I mean...no! You're dead! Damn it, stay away from me! It's impossible!"  
  
"I am truly sorry," said Clyde. "You may not believe that I was watching over you as I said I would always be, but you are sorely mistaken. You see, my human name was Clyde Arrowny, and the name of my...emotionless shell...was Shadow. I was always with you."  
  
Relm could scarcely believe what she heard. She made no attempt to talk; rather, she simply threw herself into the arms of her dead father. "This isn't what I expected to find in Thamasa," she said weakly.  
  
"Clyde and Shadow I am no longer," said Relm's father, gently releasing her from his grasp. "By the immortals I am now called Yojimbo, and it is as Yojimbo that I have been given the mission of guarding Clest from his internal foes and leading him along the path of the warrior. Therefore..."  
  
A bright, blinding flash seemed to radiate from the body of the immortal mercenary, and Clyde Arrowny ceased to exist. In his place stood an odd, twelve-foot-tall man clad in ceremonial armor and a flowing red cloak. The face of Clyde had been replaced by a mask that closely matched the oriental appearance of his armor. Without warning, a red bulldog-like creature clad in a mask similar to his owner's own approached Yojimbo from behind the tree, which had returned to its normal shape. In fact, Clest noted that he, Relm, and the mysterious Yojimbo stood in the town square of Thamasa as Clest had before being confronted by the interplanar mercenary.  
  
Clest looked around nervously, for a rather sizeable crowd had gathered round the mismatched trio. "What are you all looking at?" he could not help but exclaim.  
  
Yojimbo raised a hand. "No, it is fine," he explained. "I must speak to them all of the impending destruction of this town."   
  
Clest shrugged confusedly. "Impending...destruction?"  
  
"People of Thamasa!" cried Yojimbo, acting as if he had not heard Clest. "Though your inner magic is strong and will become stronger now that the Espers have returned and are freed from their former bonds, you have no hope of standing up to the threat that approaches even as I speak to you. It would be best if you flee your town as soon as possible."  
  
"Rubbish!" came a voice from behind the crowd. A large group of people parted, making way for an old man who hobbled into the circle of spectators. He leaned upon a heavy staff, giving the impression that he could barely support himself. "I don't care what you are or what kind of threat is coming," he said to Yojimbo, "We're not leaving."  
  
"Strago Magus," said the eternal mercenary. "You are likely the most wise man in this town. However, you would be a fool not to listen to my words. I have been sent here by the Goddesses themselves."  
  
"Goddesses? I helped kill the Goddesses!" Strago refused to listen to the warnings of the immortal.  
  
"You are wrong. You merely destroyed the corrupted avatars of the Goddesses, over which the Glorious Three had lost control. What you 'killed' were merely pawns of Kefka. You must remember that I aided you in the quest you are mentioning."  
  
"We never had an Esper that looked like you," Strago said suspiciously.  
  
Relm hurried over to her grandfather, as he was suddenly stricken with a fit of coughing. "Grandpa, you should go home...you're sick."  
  
Yojimbo laughed. "You honestly do not remember me? I was once your son-in-law, before my soul became a shadow."  
  
Strago's eyes widened. "You are...Clyde? How could you leave your wife and child as you did?"  
  
"I left no one!" Yojimbo cried angrily. "As the assassin known as Shadow, I protected both my daughter and her senile grandfather! If you would step back, old man, I would like to address your fellow townsfolk, who will likely take the advice of one with the wisdom of millenia!"  
  
Strago reluctantly exited the circle, followed by Relm. Clest began to follow, but the young woman shook her head solemnly at his attempt, causing him to simply wait within the circle and listen to Yojimbo's words.   
  
"Your only hope lies in the act of abandoning this town," cried Yojimbo, "But fear not! Your time to strike back at the invaders will soon come. As I mentioned, your inborn powers are returning to you all, and, indeed, you will become a formidable force when your magic has been restored to its full strength. For now, you must allow me, this young man before me, the old man, and his granddaughter to keep the dark ones at bay long enough for you all to flee. Now go! Prepare yourselves and spread my message, for we have little time!"  
  
Clest merely observed the crowd as they broke away into a wild frenzy, running to their own homes and the homes of their friends. To them, the appearance of an Esper after the supposed disappearance of magic was enough to convince them of the truth behind Yojimbo's words.  
  
"Retrieve my daughter and father-in-law, and bring them to me," the immortal said. "We must face the attack here, then flee to the airship that awaits us. A messenger has been sent to the gambler, as well," Yojimbo added. "Thus has our escape route been secured."  
  
Clest nodded and rushed off after Relm as he was ordered. As usual, it was going to be a long day.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Clad in full black body armor, Garland knelt before his lord, who appeared to him as simply a great, shapeless wall of darkness. "It was quite difficult, but I have managed to retrieve what you desired, almighty one," he said, displaying a perfectly spherical crystal orb.  
  
"Good," said a voice that eminated from the very darkness itself. It was a voice that defied human comprehension, and posessed the ability to dauntingly fill the mind of even the inhuman Garland. "Now release him."  
  
"What?" Garland asked. "Are you positive, my liege?"  
  
"Do it!" commanded the voice in a tone that affected Garland to the point of physical pain. Clutching at his chest, the dark knight dropped the sphere upon the indistinguishable "floor" of the black void in which Chaos awaited his moment of triumph over humanity. Though Garland had not so much as tossed the item, it shattered into an uncountable number of crystalline splinters that were quickly drained of power and assimilated by the empty void. Where the crystal had come into contact with the ground there stood an odd, translucent figure with blond hair clad in flamboyant green robes. His blue eyes seemed to pierce the very darkness that was the closest to a physical form Chaos had been able to achieve in the void, and he spoke as if he were a contemporary of the god.  
  
"Why have you awoken me?" asked the man. "I sense that you have great power. However, it is not capable of granting you power over me."  
  
"I do not wish to command you," Chaos replied. "Rather, I wish for an alliance. Of all the great evils of times past, you are the only individual who managed to gather power sufficient to allow godhood to be obtainable. None were able to achieve the level of power that you managed to reach; even the mighty Sephiroth and his later incarnation Ajora could not become immortal. It is true that some have been granted immortality as Espers by the Goddesses, but you have reached a form of true godhood without any aid from a higher power. Thus, I propose an alliance."  
  
"An alliance? I have no physical form and no followers of my own. How can I aid you in whatever it is that you are trying to accomplish?"  
  
"You are wrong," Chaos interjected. "You have followers, who, though they are mortal, can aid my cause greatly in the past. Why, these very mortals of which I speak literally worshipped you as god before the defeat of your body."  
  
The odd man laughed, prodicing a low, whooping sound. "The Cult! They shall be relieved to know that their god has not abandoned them."   
  
"Correct. Will you join my crusade?"  
  
Kefka nodded. "Of course." 


End file.
